Wholesale Stamping Part Supplier - JM Hardware

Stamping Parts Processing 

Metal stamping, also referred to as pressing, is a low-cost high-speed manufacturing process that can produce a high volume of identical metal components. Stamping operations are suitable for both short or long production runs, and be conducted with other metal forming operations, and may consist of one or more of a series of more specific processes or techniques, such as:

* Punching

* Blanking

* Embossing

* Coining

* Bending

* Flanging

Punching and blanking refer to the use of a die to cut the material into specific forms. In punching operations, a scrap piece of material is removed as the punch enters the die, effectively leaving a hole in the workpiece. Blanking, on the other hand, removes a workpiece from the primary material, making that removed component the desired workpiece or blank.

Embossing is a process for creating either a raised or recessed design in sheet metal, by pressing the raw blank against a die that contains the desired shape, or by passing the material blank through a roller die.

Coining is a bending technique wherein the workpiece is stamped while placed between a die and the punch or press. This action causes the punch tip to penetrate the metal and results in accurate, repeatable bends. The deep penetration also relieves internal stresses in the metal workpiece, resulting in no spring back effects.

Bending refers to the general technique of forming metal into desired shapes such as L, U, or V-shaped profiles. The bending process for metal results in a plastic deformation which stresses above the yield point but below the tensile strength. Bending typically occurs around a single axis.

Flanging is a process of introducing a flare or flange onto a metal workpiece through the use of dies, presses, or specialized flanging machinery.

Types of Stamping Operations at JM Hardware® 

Progressive die stamping

Progressive die stamping uses a sequence of stamping stations. A metal coil is fed into a reciprocating stamping press with progressive stamping dies. The die moves with the press, and when the press moves down the die closes to stamp the metal and form the part. When the press moves up, the metal moves horizontally along to the next station. These movements must be precisely aligned as the part is still connected to the metal strip. The final station separates the newly-fabricated part from the rest of the metal. Progressive die stamping is ideal for long runs, because the dies last a long time without becoming damaged, and the process is highly repeatable. Each step in the process performs a different cut, bend, or punching operation on the metal, thus gradually achieving the desired end-product shape and design. It is also a faster process with a limited amount of wasted scrap.   

Fine Blanking

Fine blanking, also known as fine-edge blanking, is valuable for providing high accuracy and smooth edges. Usually done on a hydraulic or mechanical press, or by a combination of the two, fine blanking operations consist of three distinct movements:

1.Clamping of the workpiece or work material in place

2.Performance of the blanking operation

3.Ejection of the finished part

Fine blanking presses operate at higher pressures than those used in conventional stamping operations, hence tools and machinery need to be designed with these higher operating pressures in mind.

The edges that are produced from fine blanking avoid fractures as produced with conventional tooling and surface flatness can exceed that available from other stamping methods. Since it is a cold extrusion technique, fine blanking is a single-step process, reducing the overall costs of fabrication.

Metal Stamping Production Volumes

JM Hardware®  offers a wide variety of production volumes for sheet metal stamping, including:

Low Volume Production

Low volume production is any amount up to 100,000 units. Most stamping projects are at least 1000 units to ensure cost-effectiveness for the customer. Customers use smaller metal stamping orders to bridge the development of a product between prototypes and mass manufacturing and to see how well a product will do on the market. Low volume production also helps if a buyer is looking for customized products. 

JM Hardware® offers low per-unit costs, even for small volumes.

Medium Volume Production

Medium volumes of production are between 100,000 and 1 million units. This amount of metal stamping production offers the flexibility of low-volume orders while enabling a lower price per part. It will also offer lower up-front costs for tooling.

High Volume Production

High volume production includes orders of over 1 million parts. While metal stamping is very scalable, it’s an incredibly cost-effective manufacturing process for high volumes, as this drives down unit costs stemming from the price of creating custom tooling.

Short Run Stamping

Short-run stamping is a low-volume production run with limited tool revisions. With short runs, overall costs will be less since you won’t need to change processes or equipment as much. Very short runs will have no changing factors, enabling the lowest price. These production capabilities are best for parts requiring less flexibility, low volume, or entering a new market.

Long Run Stamping

Long-run stamping is a more involved production run in which all factors are variable, allowing for greater flexibility over time as the production line is tuned and optimized for scale. Long-run stamping will incur more costs as each process, material, or machine part may be changed and tested. However, these changes provide consistent quality, low per-unit costs, and incredible throughput of up to hundreds of parts a minute.