Posted by Premier Products of Racine on | Comments Off on Sheet Metal Stamping: What It Is and How It Works
Sheet metal stamping is a cold-forming manufacturing technique used to create both simple and highly complex designs quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively. It is capable of creating high-volume parts while maintaining rigorous tolerance and quality criteria. Here, we’ll highlight the sheet metal stamping process and how it works.
What Is Sheet Metal Stamping?
Sheet metal stamping is the process of transforming sheets of metal material into a useful component or part. During the process, metal is fed into a press where a stamping tool, referred to as a die, presses through or into the metal with great force to create the desired shape. As a cold-forming technique, sheet metal stamping doesn’t require heat to shape the metal.
What Types of Sheet Metal Can We Stamp?
Premier Products of Racine works with a broad range of materials, from aluminum to carbon steel, copper, high-strength steel and more. We also offer galvanized sheet metal stamping services. Pre-galvanized sheet metal is commonly used for creating moisture-resistant components and has the added benefit of being significantly cheaper than aluminum and stainless steel without sacrificing quality.
While virtually any type of metal can be stamped, the type used in any given application depends on the desired qualities of the part that’s being created. Some of the most commonly used materials in sheet metal stamping include:
Stainless steel
Aluminum
Brass
Copper
Low- and high-carbon steel
Coated Steels
Pre-Painted Steels
Nickel alloys
Titanium
The Sheet Metal Stamping Process
There are three components to sheet metal stamping: the sheet metal, the press machine, and the die. However, producing any single component can require many steps before it arrives at its final form. The following are some common processes that might occur during the metal stamping process:
Forming. This is the process of creating a new shape from flat metal by the application of force. There are several methods to accomplish this, depending on design specifications. By undergoing a series of operations, metal is altered from a simple shape into a highly complex one.
Blanking. Blanking is the most basic metal stamping process. It involves feeding a sheet into a press where a die then cuts out the desired shape. The piece that results is called a blank. The blank can require additional forming, or it may be the finished component, referred to as a fully finished blank.
Drawing. A more complex operation, drawing is used to form deep depressions or vessels. During the process, tension carefully draws material into a cavity to change its shape. Stretching of the material is avoided as much as possible to ensure the material stays intact.
Piercing. This process is often thought of as the opposite of blanking. Rather than keeping the blanks, technicians use the material around the outside of the punched area. During the piercing process, punched-out shapes are discarded, with the hole-riddled sheet metal being the desired product.
Sheet Metal Stamping From Premier Products of Racine
Sheet metal stamping is a highly customizable manufacturing method, involving numerous options for materials, techniques, and processes. At Premier Products of Racine, we deliver comprehensive sheet metal stamping services, handling everything from concept design to assembly and finishing at highly competitive prices. Whether your project involves galvanized sheet metal stamping, stainless steel, copper, or another material, our team is here to support you.. To learn more, view our custom sheet metal fabrication page or contact us today.
Posted by Premier Products of Racine on | Comments Off on Stainless Steel Roll Forming: How It Works
Roll forming involves the continuous bending of a metal strip at room temperature. Through the use of tandem rollers, the metal strip undergoes a progressive shaping process until it reaches the intended profile. Many stainless steel components that can be sheet-formed can also be suitable for roll forming. Roll forming is ideal for creating long lengths of metal profiles as well as large volumes of metal-formed products.
Why Use Stainless Steel Over Other Metals for Roll Forming?
Roll forming applications depend on stainless steel over other metals due to its various desirable properties. Stainless steel possess superior corrosion resistance and high-heat performance. Several stainless steel grades are highly regarded by manufacturers for roll forming, including:
201. Grade 201 is an austenitic chromium-nickel-manganese alloy that offers comparable formability and corrosion resistance to 304. Due to its lower nickel content, it is a more cost-effective option while still providing a wide range of desirable mechanical properties.
304. This is one of the most common grades of stainless steel. Containing high amounts of chromium and nickel, this austenitic stainless steel offers excellent corrosion resistance, good formability, oxidation resistance, and durability.
430. 430 stainless steel is a non-hardenable material containing straight chromium. This ferritic, corrosion-resistant grade offers good formability and machining properties, but it’s not the most weldable compared to other stainless steel types.
439. This ferritic grade of stainless steel offers similar corrosion resistance to grade 304. This material features good weldability, exceptional resistance to corrosion cracking, and resistance to oxidation.
Although not as common for roll forming applications as the abovementioned grades, stainless steel types 304L and 316L are often used when welding is required.
What Industries Use Form Rolling Stainless Steel Services?
Various applications rely on roll forming. The forming method can create various shapes with highly-fabricable, high-strength, and corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Roll-formed stainless steel is used to produce products in the following industries:
Cubicle Systems
Office Furniture
Telecommunications
Barbeque
Appliance
Solar
Medical
Liquid Hauling Tanker Trucks
Other Industrial Sectors
What Are the Advantages and Benefits of Roll Forming Compared To Other Metal Forming Processes?
Roll forming stainless steel delivers various advantages over other metal forming processes such as metal stamping. Key benefits that roll forming offers include:
Uses less steel to create strong and lightweight structural parts
Processes metal parts at high volumes
Will not cause breakage or tearing when processing high-strength steels
Creates consistent parts with exacting tolerances and incredible precision
Delivers fine surface finishes and parts amenable to secondary processes like welding
Suitable for metal parts with varied dimensions, flexibilities, and surface coatings
The process offers more flexibility and responsiveness than extrusion and press braking
Custom Roll Forming From Premier Products of Racine
Roll forming is the ideal process for shaping various grades of stainless steel. Stainless steel offers exceptional strength, corrosion resistance, and formability, making it an ideal material for the roll forming process. Roll forming provides various benefits, including the creation of stronger and lighter parts, the ability to process metal parts at high volumes, and more.
At Premier Products of Racine, Inc., we have delivered custom roll forming at competitive prices to various industries since 1999. Our Wisconsin facility adapts to customer requirements and provides services with low overhead to compete with foreign and domestic metal forming providers. We also offer a range of value-added services like press brake, riveting, welding, finishing, custom packaging, and assembly.
