Metal stamping, also known as pressing, is used to form sheet metal into a variety of designs that are used by industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical, and more. Metal stamping is a low-cost and high-speed manufacturing process that can produce large amounts of a required metal design. At ERA Tool we're capable of handling your toughest jobs from short production runs to large volume applications.
Stamping is a complex process that involves professional equipment and is suitable for both short or long production runs. Stamping can combine different metal forming operations, and may consist of one or more processes or techniques, such as:
Blanking/Punching - A piece is cut out of the material in order to outline or shape the product.
Bending - When the material is bent in the desired design.
Coining - Compressing a pattern into the material
Embossing - Stretching the material into a shallow depression to create a raised or recessed design in sheet metal.
Flanging - Bending the material along a curved line through the use of dies, presses, or specialized flanging machinery.
At ERA Tool we focus on three major types of metal stamping techniques.
Progressive die stamping is one of the most common metal stamping processes, where metal coil is fed into a reciprocating stamping press with progressive stamping dies. From there, each station in the tool performs a different punch, bend, or cut. Progressive die stamping is ideal for long runs and metal parts with complex geometry, because the dies last a long time without becoming damaged, and the process is highly repeatable.
Deep Drawing is the process where a sheet metal blank is pulled into the die by a mechanical action of a punch, turning it into a shape. This process is called "deep" drawing due to the depth exceeding the diameter of the part created, also known as eyelet parts, which is achieved by redrawing the design through multiple dies. Deep drawing is ideal and cost-effective for creating designs that require several series of diameters.
Multi-slide sampling, also known as four-slide and four-way stamping, is a technique better suited for crafting complex designs that have numerous bends or twists. The process involves horizontal alignment and four different slides that are used simultaneously to shape the metal. Multi-slide stamping can handle parts that both transfer or progressive dies can’t due to its unique four axes. This form of stamping allows for more flexibility for design changes as well as versatility for more complex parts
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3200 16th Street, Zion, Illinois 60099
