Sheet Metal Stamping Services

The choice depends on annual volume, part geometry, and tooling budget.

Progressive die stamping is the cost leader above 50,000 pieces per year. Coil feeds through a multi-station die at up to 1,000 strokes per minute, producing a finished part on every stroke. Tooling is expensive ($30,000 to $200,000+) but per-part cost drops to a few cents at high volume.

Compound and single-station die stamping is the right choice for 5,000 to 100,000 pieces. Tooling cost is lower ($5,000 to $30,000) and the die does fewer operations. Used for brackets, washers, terminals, and simple flat parts.

Deep drawing produces cups, cans, and shells by pulling material into a cavity through one or more reduction stages. Tooling cost is moderate to high; the process is the only economical way to make parts with depth-to-diameter ratios above 1:1 on metal.

Our engineering team can recommend the right configuration during DFM review based on your part geometry and target volume.

Tolerance depends on die class, material, and feature type.

General stamped tolerance holds ±0.05 mm on linear features up to 50 mm. This covers most commercial parts.

Precision progressive dies hold ±0.025 mm on critical features through carbide inserts, station consolidation, and SPC process control. Standard for connector terminals, electronic contacts, and battery components.

Hole position relative to features outside the die is held to ±0.1 mm, looser than within-die positioning because the strip indexes between stations.

Edge burr height runs 5 to 10 percent of material thickness on standard tooling and below 3 percent with precision dies and frequent sharpening.

Flag critical dimensions on your drawing during DFM review so they can be reviewed for achievable tolerance before tool design begins.

Sheet metal stamping works on most ductile metals in coil or sheet form.

Mild and carbon steel from 0.1 to 6 mm including SPCC, CR4, DC01, A36, and Q235. Galvanized SGCC and electro-galvanized stock are common for outdoor parts.

High-strength steels including DP590 and DP780 dual-phase grades for automotive structural stampings. Higher tonnage and harder dies required.

Stainless steel from 0.1 to 4 mm including 304, 316L, 430, and spring grades 301 (1/2 hard, full hard). Stainless work-hardens during forming, so progressive dies need annealing stations on multi-stage parts.

Aluminum from 0.2 to 6 mm including 1050, 3003, 5052-H32, and 6061-O. Aerospace 7075-O is formed in O-temper then heat treated.

Copper, brass, and specialty alloys for electrical contacts. Beryllium copper (C1720) and phosphor bronze (C5191) are standard for connector and spring stampings.

Tooling cost depends on die class, station count, and material.

Aluminum prototype dies for 500 to 5,000 parts cost $2,000 to $10,000 per die. Build time 2 to 4 weeks. The right choice for design validation before committing to hardened tooling.

Single-station and compound dies in pre-hardened P20 steel cost $5,000 to $30,000 for runs of 5,000 to 100,000 parts. Build time 4 to 8 weeks.

Hardened progressive dies in D2 or A2 tool steel cost $30,000 to $200,000+ for 100,000 to 1,000,000+ parts. Build time 6 to 12 weeks. Carbide insert versions extend tool life past 5 million parts at higher upfront cost.

Deep drawing transfer dies cost $20,000 to $150,000 depending on draw ratio and station count. Build time 8 to 12 weeks.

Our DFM review includes tooling cost estimates so you can make an informed decision before committing to a die class.

Our press cell covers a wide range of stamping work.

Press tonnage from 30 tons (small electronic terminals on high-speed progressive lines) to 1,500 tons (large automotive body stampings and deep drawing). Servo presses on critical lines for precise depth control on coining and embossing.

Maximum blank size on the largest progressive press is 1,500 × 600 mm. Deep drawing cell handles blanks up to 800 × 800 mm. Larger parts are split and welded if the application allows, with welding handled in our in-house cell.

Maximum stroke rate is 1,000 strokes per minute on small-part progressive lines. Deep drawing runs slower at 30 to 100 SPM due to the multi-stage forming sequence.

Press tonnage is matched to material thickness, blank area, and forming complexity during DFM review. Over-specifying press tonnage wastes capacity; under-specifying causes incomplete forming and tool damage.

The break-even is roughly 5,000 to 10,000 pieces per year for simple parts and 50,000+ for complex parts.

Choose laser cutting plus bending below the break-even. No tooling cost, fast prototyping, and easy design changes. Per-part cost is higher but you avoid the upfront tooling investment.

Choose stamping above the break-even. Per-part cost drops to a fraction of laser cutting (often 5 to 10× cheaper) once tooling amortizes. Cycle time drops to seconds per part. The trade-off is tooling cost, lead time, and reduced flexibility for design changes.

Some programs use both: laser cutting for prototype validation and pilot runs, then stamping for serialized production once the design is locked. Our engineering team can recommend the right transition point during DFM review.

Yes. Most production programs include at least one post-machining operation.

Anodizing is standard on aluminum parts for corrosion and wear resistance. Type II anodizing adds 5 to 25 μm; Type III hardcoat adds 25 to 75 μm for abrasion-heavy applications.

Powder coating is standard on steel parts for outdoor or high-salt environments. Powder coat delivers 500 to 1,000 hours of salt spray resistance in 60 to 120 μm coatings.

Passivation is required on stainless steel medical and food-grade parts to remove free iron and restore the chromium oxide layer (ASTM A967).

Plating and E-Coat adds bright chrome, nickel, zinc, or tin for cosmetic and functional finishes on steel and brass. Plating adds 5 to 30 μm to part dimensions.

Polishing to Ra 0.2 to 0.8 μm is available for optical surfaces, sealing faces, and mirror finishes. Specify on the drawing which surfaces require polishing since it is a manual operation.

Decide on finish requirements during the DFM review because they often influence material selection and dimensional tolerance.

Custom fastener production covers a range of processes that convert wire or bar stock into finished parts. Here are the primary processes available through most full-service fastener manufacturers.

1. Cold Heading: Progressive dies form the head, shank, and recesses from a wire blank. The most cost-effective process for volumes above 10,000 pieces. Diameter range 1.5 to 25 mm.

2. CNC Turning: Rotating bar stock is machined by cutting tools. Suitable for fasteners with complex geometries, unusual thread forms, or tolerances tighter than cold heading allows.

3. Swiss Machining: A variant of CNC turning for small-diameter, long, or precision parts. Used for miniature fasteners and medical screws with tolerances to ±0.01 mm.

4. Thread Rolling: Hardened dies form threads by cold displacement rather than cutting. Rolled threads are stronger than cut threads and produce no chips. Standard process for high-strength fasteners.

5. Heat Treatment: Quenching, tempering, carburizing, or induction hardening produces fasteners to specified strength grades (Grade 5, 8, Class 8.8, 10.9, 12.9).

6. Plating and Coating: Zinc, hot-dip galvanizing, electroless nickel, black oxide, Dacromet, and chrome plating applied after threading. Provides corrosion resistance and appearance.

7. Inspection and Testing: Dimensional inspection with CMM and thread gauges. Mechanical testing includes tensile, hardness, and torque-tension. Salt spray testing for plated fasteners.

A full-service manufacturer combines these processes under one roof, reducing lead times and eliminating the coordination overhead of managing multiple suppliers.