Sheet metal stamping.
High volume.
Production sheet parts.
Metal stamping — high-volume sheet metal forming. Punching, blanking, drawing, bending in single tool. Cost-effective at production volumes (10K+).
Key principles.
Die forming
Sheet metal pressed between male/female dies. Forms and cuts simultaneously.
Multi-station
Multi-station dies form complex parts in sequential operations.
Single-station
Single-station forming + cutting in one stroke.
Sheet metals
Steel, aluminum, stainless, brass — sheet thicknesses 0.5-6 mm.
±0.05-0.2 mm
Better than laser/punch. Repeatable at high volumes.
10K+ parts/year
Tooling investment $20-200K. Pays back at production volumes.
FAQ
Stamping vs laser cutting?
Stamping: high volume (10K+), low per-part cost, tool investment. Laser: any volume, no tooling, higher per-part cost.
Tooling cost?
Compound die $20-50K. Progressive die $50-300K. Per part complexity.
Material thickness range?
0.3-6 mm typical. Thinner via specialty equipment. Thicker requires forging/CNC.
Surface finish?
Mill-finish sheet preserved. Tooling marks at deformation lines. Painting/plating standard finish.
Lead time?
Tool build 12-20 weeks. Production fast once tool ready (parts/minute).
Comparable processes?
Hydroforming for complex shapes. Spinning for axisymmetric. Each per geometry.