Metal stamping is a manufacturing process in which coils or flat sheets of material are formed into specific shapes. It is an excellent process for producing complex sheet metal parts in extremely high volumes. Below you will find the answers to the most common questions we get about the metal stamping process. Don&#;t see the answer you&#;re looking for? No worries, you can reach us by at , and we will do our best to promptly address any additional questions you may have!
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How do I get a quote for metal stamping?
To get a metal stamping quote, start by uploading a supported 3D CAD file of your part to the Xometry Instant Quoting Engine. From the quoting interface, you can modify the parameters of your quote and select "Metal Stamping" from the manufacturing process drop-down menu. Be sure to specify the quantity you need and any additional requirements such as inserts, finishing, etc. Don&#;t forget to add any 2D drawings you have to accompany your part.
Once you have specified your requirements, you can submit your quote request, and one of our experts will begin reviewing the request. Please expect to be contacted by our team, who will work with you to learn more about your project, iron out the details, and provide you with a finalized quote. Please provide our team 24-72 hours to follow up on new metal stamping requests.
Is there a minimum quantity requirement?
Yes, since metal stamping is designed as a high-volume process requiring the production of special tools and dies, we have set a minimum quantity requirement for this process. The minimum quantity required depends on if you are ordering with our Domestic or Economy options. Please refer to the following breakdown:
If you need a number of parts lower than this, we recommend considering our standard sheet metal fabrication processes.
What materials do you offer for stamping?
Parts can be stamped from various materials from soft aluminum alloys to hard materials like steel. At Xometry, we offer the following materials for the metal stamping process:
What types of metal stamping does Xometry offer?
There are multiple types of forming techniques that encompass the metal stamping process. We offer various different stamping techniques including:
What are the additional features you offer for stamped parts?
At Xometry, we offer the option to add additional features to your stamped parts. This includes things like tapped holes, inserts, and part markings. We also offer diverse finishing options such as anodizing, chem-film, powder coating, metal plating, and bead blasting. All available options for your chosen material will be displayed and selectable in our quoting interface.
What are lead times like for metal stamped parts?
Lead times for the metal stamping process are often long, especially if ordering domestically. This is due to the various steps that must take place before parts can start being manufactured and shipped. Expect a longer upfront sales cycle with final quotes delivered between a week and a few weeks.
Once an order has been placed, the tooling and dies need to be designed and fabricated. Expect to receive initial part samples between 6-12 weeks for economy orders and 16-20 weeks for domestic orders. Additional time will be needed to complete the production run once you approve the samples. Lead times can vary greatly depending on your project&#;s specific needs. Our team of experts will be working with you closely throughout the process and offer suggestions and options to provide you with the best possible turnaround while working to meet your unique needs.
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Are there any additional costs to bear in mind?
In addition to costs related to tooling, there may also be additional costs related to TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) programs. TPM is used to detect wear in the stamping tools which is important to ensure the output maintains the product specifications throughout production. Regular checks are performed after each successive run. Measurements are performed with a check-figure (or check-gauge), which usually has its own fixed, up-front costs.
At Tempco Manufacturing, we field plenty of questions about our custom metal stamping and sheet metal fabrication processes. Below are answers to some of the queries we hear most often. Read on to find detailed responses to your metal stamping and fabrication questions. If you don&#;t see the answer you need, feel free to contact us. We&#;re happy to help!
Metal stamping can refer to any of a number of metal forming operations&#;in addition to stamping, bending, pressing, folding, and stretching actions may be used to produce the final part. All metal stamping processes utilize punch presses with custom-made tooling and dies to produce a shape, pattern, or other characteristic a part requires. In general, the stamping process can provide tighter tolerances than metal fabrication. It is a fast and cost-effective way to produce metal parts in large quantities.
Metal fabrication entails the manufacturing of three-dimensional metal parts via cutting, bending, and/or other assembly processes. Fabrication generally requires more specialized equipment, such as CNC laser cutters, CNC press brakes, CNC turret presses, and welding. Metal fabrication is often the more economical way to produce parts in lower quantities, as the tooling associated with stamping can be costly. Fabrication also provides greater design flexibility than stamping, as there is no tooling to change should your part design require alteration.
Tempco offers engineering and prototyping services to help you turn your stamped metal part designs into reality. Our expert engineers can help you optimize your part for the best fit, form, and function, and to make the stamping process faster, easier, and less expensive. Our prototype manufacturing service allows our customers to test-run their parts to ensure that their designs deliver the performance they require. Benefits of prototyping include:
Tempco works with a variety of material in our metal manufacturing processes. Every metal behaves differently in the stamping process, but our experience and expertise enables us to produce all types of metal parts with the same high levels of quality and precision. We can manufacture your metal parts from:
For custom metal stampings, two of the biggest factors that affect price are material type and the tolerances of the part design.
More common or readily available materials are less costly than specialty materials or alloys. To reduce metal cost, consider using an alternative material that provides performance similar to your original material choice. Similarly, materials in &#;standard&#; thicknesses cost less than &#;non-standard&#; thicknesses. If your parts can be produced from standard thickness materials without significantly altering their fit, form, or function, it is worthwhile to consider this cost-saving option, as well.
Tight-tolerance designs (those requiring tolerances of ± 0.005&#; or less) generally require more machining operations to hold those tolerances. Tight tolerance parts also often require secondary services , which increases costs, as well. It may be possible to revise your design to reduce certain tolerance requirements or to reduce the need for secondary processing.
The choice between stamping or machining usually comes down to the manufacturability of the part, as well as the quantities required. See &#;What is the difference between metal stamping and metal fabrication?&#; (above) for more detailed information on each process.
The metal stamping process generates less material scrap than machining. This helps keep costs down and can be especially important when working with more expensive specialty materials like titanium or tungsten. There are multiple types of stamping operations, including punching, blanking, embossing, flanging, and coining. In general, metal stampings are far lower in price-per-piece than machined parts, even when secondary services are required to meet tolerances.
Metal fabrication is generally used to produce more complex parts that require multiple operations to complete. Whereas metal stamping is often used to create a simple flat (or 2D) part, fabrication is often a better choice for producing 3D parts.
A &#;progressive die&#; is a series of punch press tools that have been specially designed to perform all the punching, cutting, coining, and bending required to produce a metal part through a multistep process. In progressive die stamping, a strip of metal is fed through all stations of the progressive stamping die; each station performs one or more operations until the part is completed.
If you require complex, three-dimensional parts in quantities greater than 15,000 per year, progressive die stamping is an excellent manufacturing solution. Progressive die stamping is fast and efficient, and, for larger quantities, is one of the most cost-effective manufacturing processes available.
At Tempco, we manufacture all of our own tooling, dies, and fixtures. Our state-of-the-art tool and die shop enables us create high precision tooling and dies for even the most complex metal stamping and fabricating projects. We also store, maintain, and replace non-permanent dies at no cost to our customers.
In general, the lead time for tool and die manufacturing depends on the complexity of the punch design, the number of total operations needed to produce your part (for progressive stamping), and the quantity of parts required. Single stage tooling usually takes roughly 4 to 6 weeks to produce; progressive tooling usually takes 8 to 10 weeks.
With U.S.-based manufacturing, you can count on better quality parts and components, reliable two-way communication, and on-time delivery. American manufacturers are the best in the world, producing the highest quality, tightest tolerance parts. Domestic manufacturing allows for faster turnaround times and more dependable deliveries. For top quality parts delivered on your schedule, there&#;s no substitute for American manufacturing.
Benefits of domestic manufacturing include:
If you have additional questions that are not addressed here, contact Tempco Manufacturing today. We&#;re ready to discuss your custom metal stamping or custom metal fabrication project!
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