Sheet Metal Stamping

Are you looking into shaping metal into auto parts or components? Sheet metal stamping is a popular way to do this. Let’s take a look at the process:

What Is Sheet Metal Stamping?

Sheet metal stamping is also called “pressing”. It’s a process that uses tons of force to alter the shape of a flat piece of sheet metal. The process can also involve puncturing holes into the metal.

Sheet metal stamping is a very common process. In fact, sheet metal stamping is part of the production process for the majority of auto parts. For a more thorough explanation of sheet metal stamping, check out this post.

The Pros And Cons Of Sheet Metal Stamping

Sheet metal stamping is a quick and easy process. It’s a cold forming process. That means you don’t need to allocate any time for the stamped metal to cool off. Sheet metal stamping is an ideal solution if you need to:

• Puncture a hole. You can’t puncture holes with some other processes, but you can with sheet metal stamping. For example, if you decide to go with hydroforming for other reasons, you would need to use a separate process to puncture holes into your part. The costs can add up.
• Puncture more than one hole at once. One stamping operation can put more than one hole into sheet metal.
• Create more than one complex bend. A sheet metal stamping machine can create multiple complex bends during one stamping operation.

Metal stamping comes with several disadvantages:

• High upfront tooling costs. If you’re doing a small run, the upfront tooling costs can make it expensive. The sheet metal stamping process requires two molds — one positive, one negative.
• Longer lead times. It takes more time to design and make two molds instead of one.
• A little more metal waste. With sheet metal stamping, the metal sheet has to overlap the die a little bit. This creates more metal waste compared to other processes.

Despite these disadvantages, sheet metal stamping is still a great solution. It’s preferred by companies everywhere for many types of parts.

Intran Offers High-Precision Sheet Metal Stamping Services

At Intran, we have a facility with a comprehensive setup of sheet metal stamping machines for stainless steel and cold rolled steel. We make all kinds of types and shapes of:

• Covers
• Brackets
• Flanges

Our machines can exert between 10 and 350 tons of force. That means we can make pretty much any auto part or component you need. Our services are a turn-key operation. That means we’re ready to meet your needs. Read about our sheet metal stamping services here.

We also offer tube hydroforming services. Read about our tube hydroforming services here.