Stamping

Quality Makes Us Global

Shaping Metal with Stamping Press Automation Manufacturing

The first manually operated metal stamping presses began to appear in the late 1800s during the Industrial Revolution. Today’s powerful hydraulic, and mechanical stamping presses can perform a range of metalworking tasks on sheet metal to produce a wide variety of final products, parts, and components.This cold-forming process shapes metal by placing it between two die surfaces pressed together by the stamping press to shape and/or shear the metal to the desired shape.

3 people working in factory at conveyor belt exit of a large machine

Metal Stamping Presses at Global Forming

Our fleet of stamping presses at Global Forming range in size from 12 tons to 150 tons of pressure and bed sizes ranging all the way up to 48 inches (121.9cm) by 84 inches (213.4cm). Stamping or pressing sheet metal is a low-cost, high-speed process that can be used to make large volumes of identical parts and components. It can be used to shape a variety of metals, including ferrous metals (such as iron-based alloys like stainless steel), non-ferrous metals (bronze, brass, zinc), non-standard alloys (beryllium nickel and beryllium copper), and other metals (silver, gold, platinum).

Stamping Operations, Processes, Techniques

Stamp presses can be made or adapted to execute a surprisingly wide range of metalworking processes, including the following representative but not exhaustive list:

Punching

This creates a hole in the primary material, and the piece removed is scrap.

Blanking

This also creates a hole in the primary material, but the piece removed becomes a new workpiece or “blank” to be shaped by another operation.

Embossing

Creates either a raised or recessed design in sheet metal when the raw blank is pressed against a die that has the desired shape.

Coining

Compresses or squeezes the desired pattern into the material (traditionally used to make coins).

Bending

Material is deformed along a straight line to achieve the desired L-shaped, U-shaped, or V-shaped profile by stressing the material above its yield point but below its tensile strength.

Flanging

Bends the material along a curved or straight line.

Drawing/Deep Drawing

Stretches the surface area of the blank into a new shape.

Hemming

Folds an edge over itself to increase thickness. Automobile doors are usually hemmed.

Progressive Die Stamping

Different combinations of operations are performed on the material by passing it through a series of dies set in a row. The final operation would be to cut the finished piece from the continuous strip of metal.

Transfer Die Stamping

This is the same general idea of multiple die stations, but instead of a strip, the blank has been separated from the strip earlier in the process and is moved from die station to die station by means of something like a conveyor belt.

Precision Control of Stamping Press Automation Manufacturing

Manufacturing processes that make use of stamping presses are easily automated through programming or computer numerical controlling (CNC) in order to achieve high precision and repeatability for every piece stamped. Further accuracy is achieved through electrical discharge machining (EDM) and computer-aided design (CAD) programs and software.

Tooling Dies for Metal Stamping Press Manufacturing

All the different metalworking operations that can be performed on stamping presses require the use of one or more dies. Designing and tooling the dies is an up-front investment of time and money that must happen before high-volume production runs can take place. Global Forming will evaluate your die design with expert tooling staff to ensure it will work as needed. This is important because retooling a die holds everything up and is expensive.

Applications of Metal Stamping Manufacturing

Metal stamping is incredibly versatile and cost-effective for a wide range of applications. Industries that frequently make use of metal parts and components that have been stamped include automotive companies, electronics, aerospace, home appliances, home furnishings, lighting, telecommunications, military and defense, medical equipment, and others too numerous to mention. It’s hard to find a manufacturing industry that doesn’t make use of metal stamping for some parts and components.

The kinds of parts and components that can be made is huge, including simpler items such as clips, springs, washers, weights, and brackets to a variety of electronics components such as terminals, contacts, lead frames, springs, and pins, to all kinds of customized shapes and sizes as needed.

Global Forming: Your Trusted Metal Stamping Manufacturing Partner

We will help you determine if the metal part or component you need would best be made using the metal stamping process, as opposed to roll forming or stretch bending, which are the other metalworking processes in the Global Forming wheelhouse. We also offer welding and assembly services as needed for your projects. Our expert management of the die tooling process, our experienced stamping team, and state-of-the-art stamping presses all combine into meeting your needs with high-quality stamped pieces produced quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively. With Global Forming on the job, you’ll never have to worry about on-time delivery because that’s what we do with every client on every project. We look forward to connecting with you through the contact us page of our website, by phone at 317.290.1000, or by email to rfox@globalforming.us to discuss your needs and prepare a quote for our stamping services.