The Problems

A client in the wind turbine industry approached us with an order for brush terminal clips, components used for assembly purposes within their machinery. While the high production quantity requested (40,000 pieces) was not an issue, the tight timeline requested (four weeks) was an issue. At the time, our average turnaround for projects was eight weeks, so our team needed to formulate a plan to fulfill the order in half our normal lead time.

Another issue we encountered with this project was the design of the component. Steel clips generally do not perform well when used on steel structures, so our team needed to design and engineer a clip that offered the appropriate characteristics for the client’s application. Additionally, the overform design required tight tolerances that many companies do not have the equipment to accommodate.

The Solutions

While our team faced many challenges when entering this project, we were ultimately able to overcome all of them by leveraging our extensive design and manufacturing expertise and past metal forming and stamping experience.

  • By designing and engineering a clip featuring laminated (clad) copper over steel construction, our team created a solution that would function well when used in conjunction with the client’s steel machinery components. Due to the use of copper over stainless steel or another metal, the design allowed for better corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity, and heat treatability.
  • By utilizing advanced tooling design and manufacturing machinery and metallurgical knowledge, our team developed quality dies for the production of the clips. These dies, combined with our progressive die stamping systems, enabled us to produce the clips to tolerances of ±.002 inches.
  • By working efficiently and diligently, our team cut the lead time for the project from eight weeks to four weeks.

The Results

After we successfully designed, produced, and delivered the full order of 40,000 brush terminal clips within the four-week timeline, the customer expressed complete satisfaction with our work. Following the conclusion of this project, they chose to partner with us on other jobs due to their confidence in the quality of our services.

Partner With American Industrial Company on Your Next Project

The client chose to work with us due to their prior knowledge of our design and manufacturing capabilities, metal forming and stamping experience, and service quality. Our successful completion of this time-sensitive project further cemented their trust in our work.

If you need a partner for your next metal stamping project, turn to the experts at American Industrial Company. Equipped with nearly 40 years of metal stamping experience, we’ve got the knowledge and skills to create metal stampings for virtually any customer need. To learn more about our metal stamping capabilities or discuss your project requirements, contact us or request a quote today!