Aggregate your way to cost effective and stress-free precision stamping supply.
28 February 2022
If you’ve ever walked into a major auto production facility, you may have heard a rhythmic thud in the background – perhaps a massive press stamping out the unibody for a sedan or SUV.
This is the beginning of the manufacturing process, but there are many other parts to go that will need to be added to that basic unibody. A myriad of parts, from nuts and bolts to engine parts to air bags will be brought to the line and installed, eventually to become a shiny new car.
Many of these parts were once flat pieces of metal themselves that went through many different methodologies to become precision metal stampings.
Making all these parts in house is simply not practical. Sourcing these items can be a challenge also, but the right partner can make life much easier for the manufacturer.
Factors to consider in stamping
From the simplest press brake to 4-slide and multi-slide devices, or highly complex progressive die operations that incorporate punching, coining, bending and other operations, it is important to choose the right methodology that will provide you with high quality output.
The output is critical. Well-designed stampings combine the proper dimensions, the right level of strength, proper stress relief and the right finish to accomplish the end goal.
Well-designed material usage will minimize scrap and maximize the yield, or output. The better designed the tooling, the less scrap, and the most cost-effective or economical your end-products will be.
A third factor can greatly affect the end cost of your product, and that is the tooling life. Are you looking for a short run? Is this a low volume run that might be subject to change or obsolescence? Or will you need millions of pieces for years? It’s important that your toolmaker considers the overall run life run
It’s common to need multiple types of stampings just to put out a single product.
For example, a manufacturer of office lighting might have larger “press brake” stampings for large housings, small copper strips for electrical connectors, and perhaps deep drawn stampings to cover complex circuitry. Most stamping houses deal with perhaps one or two different types of stampings, perhaps 4-slide or multi-slide, but not deep drawn or progressive die, for example.
Advantages of aggregating
A stamping aggregator such as Fast-Rite specializes in supplying a wide variety of stampings, tonnage and materials, being a one-stop shop that supplies the customer’s full range of stamping needs.
Experience tooling designers accustomed to choosing the right methodology and building in the proper design elements can create tooling that can maximize yield and minimize the overall cost per piece for quality precision metal stampings.
Simplify your precision stamping procurement! Fast-Rite’s engineers can aggregate your multiple stamping needs to create the most effective overall precision stamping supply. Give Fast-Rite a call at 888-327-8077 or email sales@fast-rite.com