Working with metal is a centuries-old method of manufacturing products for a wide range of markets. Since the mid-1800s, many of today’s common metal forming operations grew rapidly into what we now know them to be as well as the use of different tools and plasma software. With the development of these metal forming operations, a certain degree of separation was inevitable, and in the current industry, companies often specialize in one type of metal forming operation. Thomas Engineering Company offers expert precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, a metal forming technique that holds its place in several ways over other methods of working with metal.

While every metal forming technique has its place in the industry, some methods have been replaced during production in favor of metal stamping operations. For example:

• Casting – Casting like sand casting is a process using molten metal and a mold shape to create metal parts. The common type of casting used in the metal forming industry is die casting, a process where a molten metal is forced under intense pressure into two dies made from hardened steel. Though die casting works well for the production of large, heavy duty parts, the finished product has a few downsides. Because of the way metal is molded in a die casting process, a part can often be more porous and have detrimental voids in its structure, leading to failure and early replacement down the line. Compared to metal stamped parts, die cast parts are also more costly to make in terms of materials, equipment, and labor.

• Forging – Hot forging is rarely used in industrial metal parts manufacturing today. Born from the age-old tradition of smithing and hot forging are current cold forging techniques used on many production floors. Cold forging is a similar process to hot forging, but a heated slug isn’t used when shaping a part. Because cold forging uses extreme compressive force to reform metal crystals and grain paths to shape a part from a raw metal, it’s a process that’s most efficient when using softer metals like aluminum instead of harder metals like steel. Cold forging also has drawbacks, such as the secondary operations needed to finish a part after it’s forged. The complexity of a part and its ability to meet close tolerances are also limited with cold forging production.

While these and many other metal forming operations as well as equipment like a sigma mixer and industrial copper have benefits in a number of industrial applications, the development of metal stamping and the exponentially-increasing technical abilities of metal stamping methods are beginning to outstrip other methods in production. This is especially true when manufactured parts must meet high-accuracy demands. Thomas Engineering Company provides parts that can meet those needs with our expert precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN. For more information about our precision stamping production and supplementary services, contact us at (763) 533-1501 today.