Although stamped metal parts appear to be small, they can have a significant impact on a manufacturer's bottom line when it comes to production costs, fabrication cycles, and product reliability.
If you incorporate stamped metal parts into the goods you produce, here are three critical steps that will help ensure your metal stamping success in the future.
1. Spend a significant amount of time getting the stamped design right from the beginning.
Even the smallest imperfection in a stamp's design can affect the quality of the finished metal product. If you want to streamline your metal stamping, it's essential that you devote a significant amount of time to perfecting your stamp's design right from the beginning.
Working with a skilled metal stamping engineer to create drawings and prototypes for each stamped metal part that you use in your manufacturing process can be a great way to reduce potential problems in the future.
2. Forecast your expected requirements.
When it comes to designing an effective metal stamp, it can be helpful for an engineer, like one at Hub Manufacturing & Metal Stamping. to know what your expected requirements will be. Giving your metal stamping engineer an estimate when it comes to the volume, performance, shipping frequency, and final assembly requirements you expect to place on your metal components will help him or her design a stamp that will be suited to meet your unique needs.
Allowing your engineer to fully understand your assembly process will allow him or her to design your stamp in a way that can reduce secondary handling, which can reduce overall production costs over time.
3. Discuss the importance of tolerances.
Tolerances are the variations from the original stamp design that can be seen in a stamped metal part. It's important that you take the time to discuss your allowable tolerances with your metal stamping engineer prior to production in order to ensure that the finished parts will meet your needs.
If you have a low margin for tolerances, then a more highly-refined and tooled design will be necessary. If your parts can sustain some tolerances and still retain functionality, you may be able to save costs by going with a less refined design.
Understanding how to successfully work with a metal stamping engineer will increase the likelihood that your stamped metal parts will perform in the ways that you want them to. Be sure that you are devoting enough time to the design of your stamp, sharing your expected requirements, and discussing acceptable tolerance levels during the metal stamping process to ensure that your experience is a success.
