Precision Metal Stamping

Precision metal stamping is a manufacturing technique used to turn sheets of metal into the desired size and shape of the parts needed for cars, electronics, tools, medical equipment, and much more. This process enables fast and accurate production of a wide variety of metal components by combining varied operations such as stamping, drawing, folding, and piercing into a single operation or series of connected operations.

Common products that rely on precision metal stamping for production include:

Hand and Power Tool Components
Connectors
Brackets
Busbars
Bolts
Contact Elements
Latches
Injection Mold Inserts
Fastening Components (for Furniture, Luggage, etc.)

The efficiency of precision metal stamping processes facilitate significant reductions in production time, labor costs, and the risk of error. This makes it ideal for large production runs.

Download: What To Look For In A
Metal Stamping Company

Engineer Design / Quoting

As a leader in design engineering services for tooling for over 30 years, at American Industrial Company, we utilize modern software and cutting edge testing tools to quickly and accurately provide complex prototypes, design assistance, reverse engineering, and the re-design of new or existing products

Our Design Engineering services cover all the major areas of pre-production activities: from in-house die design, product and prototype development to material selection.

Our team of Design Engineers is composed of AutoCAD with Diemaker, Solidworks with LogoPress and EdgeCAM experts, and is also highly proficient in a number of other equally advanced software tools.

Tooling

At American Industrial Company, we operate a state-of-the-art, in-house tool-making facility that ensures we not only have control of tool making, but of the entire manufacturing process.

This facility is equipped to build dies from 6″ up to 85″ in length, all to tolerances of ±0.001″, and with our advanced knowledge of metallurgy, we can select the optimal die material. This includes various tool grade steels and pre hardened metals. This allows us to optimize costs by using die material that is matched to the run size and geometrical requirements.

Die types include progressive, compound, secondary forming, and shallow draw dies, to dies used for coining, blanking, and piercing. If we can provide the stamping process, rest assured that the die came from our shop

Metal Stamping Basics

Stamping — also called pressing — involves placing flat sheet metal, in either coil or blank form, into a stamping press. In the press, a tool and die surface form the metal into the desired shape. Punching, blanking, bending, coining, embossing, and flanging are all stamping techniques used to shape the metal.

Before the material can be formed, stamping professionals must design the tooling via CAD/CAM engineering technology. These designs must be as precise as possible to ensure each punch and bend maintains proper clearance and, therefore, optimal part quality. A single tool 3D model can contain hundreds of parts, so the design process is often quite complex and time-consuming.

Once the tool’s design is established, a manufacturer can use a variety of machining, grinding, wire EDM and other manufacturing services to complete its production.

A manufacturer might have to repeatedly change the tool on a single press or occupy a number of presses, each performing one action required for a completed part. Even using multiple presses, secondary machining services were often required to truly complete a part. For that reason, progressive die stamping is the ideal solution for metal parts with complex geometry to meet:

Faster turnaround
Lower labor cost
Shorter run length
Higher repeatability

Progressive Die Stamping

Progressive die stamping features a number of stations, each with a unique function.

First, strip metal is fed through a progressive stamping press. Then, the strip unrolls steadily from a coil and into the die press, where each station in the tool then performs a different cut, punch, or bend. The actions of each successive station add onto the work of the previous stations, resulting in a completed part.

Quality Control / Assurance

Our organization is based on a culture of quality, and it permeates every department, from the office to the dock.

We utilize quality management systems that employ a number of very effective tools. This includes statistical process control, or “SPC” which is a method of using statistics to define and measure product quality and the production parts approval process. This is often used in the automotive industry for defining complex quality standards.

Our quality department also employs a number of advanced software tools such as GAGETrak and are also equipped with various cutting edge inspection systems such as our Microvu optical camera system.

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The Basics of Metal Stamping

Using high-tonnage presses and stamping dies, sheets of metal are turned into complete parts and components for all sorts of equipment and other uses. Depending on the complexity of the part, it may be possible to shape the entire piece with one stroke of the press—known as a single-stage operation. In other cases, it may take multiple strokes—a series operation—to complete the piece.

Process

Before the stamped products can be made, they must be designed. Stamping professionals use computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology to design the tooling. This can be a time-consuming process, since precision is of utmost importance and there might be dozens if not hundreds of pieces to consider. However, once the design is set, it can be used to make as many replicas of the item as needed.

The next step in the metal stamping process puts the sheet metal into the stamping press. Techniques such as punching, embossing, bending, stretching, and curling are used to create the desired product based on the finalized design.

Advantages

Precision metal stamping offers significant advantages over competitive metal forming methods. Such advantages include:

Speed. Precision metal stamping allows operations to significantly cut down production time. The automation saves hours of labor.
Accuracy. Once the tooling is designed, it will work to precisely replicate even the most intricate and complex shapes and tolerances time and again. The newest technology and techniques allow for even greater precision.
Cost. The bigger the project, the more economical will be with precision metal stamping. The majority of the labor comes from the tooling design process. Automation allows for consistent production with little manual labor.

Metals

Custom metal stamping can be used on many different metal types, including:

Stainless Steel
Galvanized Steel
Cold/Hot Rolled Steel
High Strength Low Alloy Steel
Brass
Copper
Aluminum

High-Quality Stamped Products Since 1981

American Industrial Company (AIC) has specialized in metal stamping since 1981, and we are proud to provide high-quality manufacturing services in the Chicago area and throughout North America. We’re committed to offering competitive pricing and short delivery times while maintaining our focus on Lean manufacturing principles. We also guarantee quality with our ISO 9001:2015 standards certification.

As a flexible, customer-oriented metal stamping company, American Industrial works with both small and large runs to suit your needs. We ensure a long tooling life as well as consistency and uniformity in your finished products. Over the years, we’ve helped create a wide variety of components for satisfied customers.

Learn More From Our Metal Stamping Experts

At AIC, our capabilities cover large projects to small projects and simple components to complex components. With our years of experience and commitment to excellence, we possess advanced metal stamping capabilities to meet your needs.

We understand that choosing a manufacturer is a big decision, and it’s important for you to find the right metal stamping company for your project. Download our e-book, What to Look for in a Metal Stamping Vendor, to make sure you’re carefully assessing the most important factors when it comes to choosing a company for your custom metal stamping.

If you have any questions about precision metal stamping, your specific project, or what it’s like to work with us, please contact us.

At American Industrial Company, we offer our customers comprehensive metal stamping services using the best machines in the industry. We offer the widest range of precision stamped parts in the industrial marketplace by using only the best and most advanced stamping technologies. This allows us to create versatile metal components of nearly any form.

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Metal Stamping Capabilities

Our shop features metal stamping machines that have made parts for hand tools, power tools, the construction, mining, and automotive industries, and many more uses. We’re equipped to tackle anything and even help our customers from design phase through prototype to a finished product. No matter the size or complexity of the part, we have the machinery and expertise to handle any industry’s metal stamping project.
We have a wide repertoire of capabilities, and OEMs ranging from appliances to sporting goods have put their trust in our sturdy and reliable components. Our tight tolerances ensure that what you receive matches the dimensions we’re given every time. Our automated process also ensures that each part is manufactured in exactly the same, repeatable conditions. This allows us to better monitor the progression of every component, from start to finish. These automated machines supplement our very reliable and skilled machinists. This combination of top-notch stamping machines, quality control machines, and our team of adept craftsmen yields a high level in manufacturing quality.
Our custom metal stamping services include many capabilities, such as:

Progressive Die Stamping
Shallow Draw Stamping
Blanking
Piercing
Bending
Coining
Forming
Secondary Production

We work hard to make ourselves a one-stop manufacturer, and that includes gearing our production floors to handle a wide array of tasks to get your product or part finished in house and on time. The precision metal stamping capabilities and tight tolerances we work with are sure to fit with the specifications of your next project.

Applications for Metal Stamping

Metal stamping is a viable solution to produce needed components across broad industries, including but certainly not limited to:

These are just a few examples of industries we work with. We serve many OEMs and a broad market of industries, so if you need metal stamped components or products, we are equipped to handle your needs, whatever they may be.

American Industrial’s Metal Stamping Process

At American Industrial, we use only state-of-the-art technology to meet your metal stamping needs. Our expert machinists have extensive experience working with our equipment and are knowledgeable and well-trained with all of our metal stamping processes. This enables us to manufacture parts that exceed the tight tolerances required by our customers as well as the stringent industry-specific regulations. That is our quality assurance to you.

Our metal stamping machines are complemented with our line of high-tech monitoring, inspecting, and testing devices that we have integrated into our quality control systems. These quality control machines and technologies include:

Micro-Vu Matrix Optical Camera System
In-die Sensors
Infrared Retro Reflective Lasers
Fiber Optics

Look to American Industrial Company for Your Metal Stamping Needs

No matter the size or complexity of your order, whether it’s one simple prototype or high-volume production of multi-step manufactured parts, you’ll be impressed with our work ethic and rapid turnaround. If you’d like to discuss how we can best work for you, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact us. Whether you’re in the design phase, prototyping, or looking for an industrial components manufacturer, consider American Industrial Company.

Material Selection Guides

Precision Metal Stamping