Join Us in San Jose, CA, for the 2016 BIOMEDevice Event to Learn More About Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN

December 6th, 2016 · No Comments

The annual BIOMEDevice show exhibits over 350 innovators, engineering and manufacturing leaders, and technology expos in the medical device industry from across the globe. The BIOMDevice show features the best and newest in Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M), including industry giants like Phillips-Medisize and Mitsubishi Electric. Thomas Engineering Company is proud to stand alongside these representatives of medical device excellence at the 2016 exhibition. Join us at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA, on December 7-8 to learn more about our role in the medical device industry with metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

The San Jose BIOMEDevice show is one of the best opportunities to learn about revolutionary designs and new engineering in the medical device industry. The two-day exhibition opens the door for communications, problem solving, and head-to-heads with people dedicated to improving all facets of medical device design, manufacturing, and packaging.

TEC attends the BIOMEDevice expo each year to exhibit our own innovations and achievements in contracted stamping and the manufacturing of precision parts. Our booth will feature current information about TEC’s production of electronic components and medical device components as well as our thin stamping, in-die operations, and rapid prototyping abilities.

The BIOMEDevice show is a great opportunity for TEC customers and students of stamping to learn why TEC has long been considered a leading precision metal stamping company in Minnesota and surrounding areas.

Checkout more information about the event here, and join us at the San Jose Convention Center for the two-day event filled with informative conferences, panels, exhibits, booths, tours, and open convention for all the latest medical device technology.

The show runs from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM PST on Wednesday, December 8th and Thursday, December 9th.

Look for Thomas Engineering Company at Booth 1322 in the Contract Manufacturing aisle of the main floor, and meet with our team to talk about our abilities in precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, or call us at (763) 533-1501 today for more information.

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Improving Your Experience With Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN

November 28th, 2016 · No Comments

Thomas Engineering Company (TEC) has been a leading company in the metal stamping industry for over 50 years, but we’re continually searching for new ways to improve our production, products, and service. We are committed to providing our customers with the high-quality parts they need, but we also place great importance on excellence in customer service and supply management. TEC offers a stress-free experience for reliable, quality precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

 

There are many components that go into creating a comprehensive, quality experience with Thomas Engineering Company. Every aspect of our services supports the balance of the TEC experience and each are equally important to maintaining excellence.

 

Quality Assurance: As an ISO 9001:2008 registered manufacturer, we have a proven system that guarantees quality and reliability in our products. Our Quality System promotes excellence and is documented and audited. It gives TEC guidelines for improving production and services in all areas.

 

Just-in-Time Delivery: One of the greatest advantages to our clients in terms of supply management is our just-in-time delivery system. Not only do we provide parts with consistently unsurpassed precision and quality, but we’re also able to meet your unique schedule and demands for new parts. This delivery system keeps away worries about negative down time and standing operation costs, giving you a stress-less TEC experience.

 

Communications: We take pride in our ability to provide excellently-stamped parts, but we also place great importance on the relationship between TEC and our customers. Quality customer service and client relations are crucial to sustaining a great TEC experience. Our staff follows TEC guidelines for continued communication and customer involvement throughout the stamping process.

 

Manufacturing: Offering a great experience with TEC comes down to providing a product that is reliable, precision-based, and made with high quality materials. With the extensive experience of engineers, high-grade raw materials, imaging and process control software, and well maintained, top-of-the-line petroleum equipment, manufacturers are able to provide customers with products that meet a superior caliber.

 

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Advantages of In-Die Spot Welding Techniques for Precision Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN

November 10th, 2016 · 2 Comments

At Thomas Engineering Company, we continually strive to improve our production process and our products. When it comes to bettering performance and the quality of parts stamped on our floors, our value-added services are one of the vital aspects of TEC engineering. Many of our value-added services are designed to streamline the production process and improve the precision of stamped parts. As one of these services, in-die spot welding provides several advantages to TEC’s customers and for precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

Spot welding is a crucial stage in the manufacturing of many different parts. The traditional form of spot welding, however, demands a secondary operation which adds several disadvantages, such as time and cost, to the manufacturing process. At TEC, we take advantage of in-die spot welding, when part design allows, a process that provides the following benefits:

 

  • Time Reduction: Because in-die spot welding combines the stamping and welding stages into one die, it completely streamlines these aspects of the manufacturing process. The incorporation of these stages into one die saves TEC engineers time in production and gets finished parts to our customers sooner. 
  • Energy Conservation: When spot welding and stamping are integrated into one die, it eliminates the need for a secondary operation. This means the energy that would originally be used in a full secondary process is largely eliminated when spot welding is integrated into the dual-purpose die system. Overall, the spot welding process, in combination with the stamping process, consumes much less energy than separate operations, no matter how efficient. 
  • Quality Improvement: In-die spot welding allows TEC engineers to rely more on the abilities of metal stamping technology. Despite the expert aptitude of our engineers and floor technicians, it’s difficult to match the accuracy and consistency of programmed manufacturing machinery. In-die spot welding greatly decreases the chances of human error and allows for the production of higher quality parts. 
  • Material Minimization: While many companies still believe in secondary welding operations, in-die welding equipment has repeatedly proven to last longer than other methods of spot welding. This means that TEC saves materials that would otherwise be used to replace worn secondary welding equipment.

These benefits save all parties involved expenses in several facets of the production process. For more information about in-die spot welding and precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, contact Thomas Engineering Company at (763) 533-1501.

 

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Improving Production and Product with Rapid Prototyping in Minneapolis, MN

November 4th, 2016 · No Comments

In today’s world of rapidly changing technology, companies in virtually every industry are constantly working to keep up with the development of new products. With each new product, however, new parts must be developed alongside to maintain quality and functionality. To provide the fastest and most accurate creation of the parts our customers need, Thomas Engineering Company features expert services in rapid prototyping in Minneapolis, MN.

Rapid prototyping is one of the most beneficial aspects of the engineering and design process for parts TEC produces with precision metal stamping. We take advantage of our abilities in rapid prototyping for the production of new parts as often as possible because of the great advantages the process provides.

 

Design Perfection

Rapid prototyping is a process created from the necessity of designing parts without potential to fail from untested or unforeseen problems. Not only does rapid prototyping allow our clients to give our engineering teams the exact schematics for a part, it also allows for the virtual conception and visualization of a 3D product without needing to waste efforts on the creation of a physical prototype. With CAD/CAM imaging systems and MTBF prediction and calculation providing advanced data analysis, our rapid prototyping process allows for optimal customization of part design and almost-limitless customization overall.

 

Time & Money

Because our rapid prototyping services give our engineers such an advantageous position throughout the design and development process, we save our customers cost and time in several aspects. But if those customers need some extra cash, they can win a few on sites such as 먹튀. CAD/CAM software allows for faster part visualization and analysis without wasting materials and energy on producing physical prototype copies. During the communication process between TEC and customer when prototypes are examined and altered based on the demands of our customer, we are able to quickly alter the part design by changing the virtual file, rather than testing and developing the physical prototype.

The virtues found in the rapid prototyping process are numerous, and it also allows us to provide perks like better customer service, Just-In-Time Delivery, and Quality Assurance.  For more information about the benefits Thomas Engineering Company can provide with rapid prototyping in Minneapolis, MN, contact us at (763) 533-1501 today.

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Benefits of Just-In-Time Delivery Systems with Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN

October 24th, 2016 · No Comments

The metal stamping industry supplies parts to many industries producing directly to the public consumer. Electronic, automotive, medical, and other industries make use of the metal stamping supply chain on a daily basis to manufacture their finished products for the market. These industries must rely upon the companies that produce the stamped parts they need, and the promise that these companies will consistently provide the parts without delays or other complications. Thomas Engineering Company offers all the advantages of Just-In-Time delivery for all parts produced with our precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

 

Just-In-Time delivery is a system that ensures the parts a company needs to continue meeting their manufacturing deadlines are produced, packaged, and shipped with exact specifications to their schedule. This is beneficial for several reasons:

 

  • Warehouse Cost: Just-In-Time delivery can significantly reduce various costs that our clients might incur. Most of these expenses come from warehouses storing extra inventory. Just-In-Time delivery opens up storage space because the part that may be needed is just a phone call away.
  • Supply Chain Management: Our Just-In-Time delivery model also helps to streamline the supply chain process, allowing our clients to boost production efficiency. Because parts are readily available to our clients with Just-In-Time delivery, this diminishes time and energy spent on supply chain management and provides parts more directly to the manufacturing floors using material handling equipment.
  • Waste: In traditional methods of production, where large inventories of parts are stored as backup and unsold items are accumulated, there is a significant amount of wasted time, material, and expense. With the Just-In-Time delivery system, companies can manufacture based on direct demand, reducing the waste involved in attempting to predict the demand of their products.
  • Customer Service: Of course, our Just-In-Time delivery vastly improves the interaction between TEC’s customer service department and our clients. This model of supply and demand eliminates the majority of miscommunications and inefficiencies, leaving our clients satisfied and the process expertly resolved.

 

Overall, our Just-In-Time delivery system allows our staff and clients to have greater control throughout the process of ordering, producing, and supplying parts. For more information about our Just-In-Time delivery and our services in precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, contact Thomas Engineering Company today at (763) 533-1501.

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The History of Free Form Fabrication and the Application of Rapid Prototyping in Minneapolis, MN

October 14th, 2016 · No Comments

During the late 60s through to the early 70s, University of Rochester engineering professor Herbert Voelcker began research that would take him on a journey to change the engineering world forever. His work with computer-controlled machines and tools and his development of a theory and algorithm for three-dimensional modeling changed the way engineering and manufacturing is accomplished today. Thanks to the work of Voelcker and other engineering giants over the past forty years, our own engineers and technicians at Thomas Engineering Company are able to provide expert precision metal stamping and rapid prototyping in Minneapolis, MN.

Herbert Voelcker’s research in the late 60s marked the beginning of free form fabrication, or what is now an umbrella term for methods of rapid prototyping such as additive manufacturing, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), and 3D printing. Our engineers are able to use today’s technology with CAD/CAM systems to provide our customers with the rapid prototyping necessary to produce the parts they need.

Voelcker started with the creation of mathematical formulas and algorithms that would provide the base for today’s 3D imaging technology. From the 70s to the 80s, Voelcker’s work changed the way engineers designed a part. In 1987, Carl Deckard at the University of Texas developed a way to use Voelcker’s design methods paired with a new, additive way of manufacturing the physical part. By providing a way of adding a material in layers instead of subtracting layers from a larger piece of material, Deckard gave the engineers of today the beginnings of true rapid prototyping.

While many other engineers have helped to develop Voelcker’s design theories and Deckard’s manufacturing theories, their research has been an invaluable step in improving engineering industries across the globe. Without their innovative work, the high-accuracy computer-aided design and manufacturing systems we use at TEC today would not be possible.

Check out this article for a more in-depth look at the development of rapid prototyping.

For more information about how we use rapid prototyping during the precision metal stamping process in Minneapolis, MN, contact Thomas Engineering Company today at (763) 533-1501.

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The Difference in Excellence with Punching and Cutting with Precision Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN

October 9th, 2016 · No Comments

There are many commonalities in the techniques and equipment used in the metal stamping industry across the globe. This can make it difficult to pinpoint where differences in quality mark some companies as better suited to produce a part than others. At Thomas Engineering Company, we are committed to performing precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, with an effort to apply excellence in method to all steps of the production process.

Even universal operations performed in all types of metal stamping can vary in quality. For example, punching and cutting procedures are some of the most basic operations, yet they still require considerable understanding of the materials, high quality equipment, and a very calculated approach to the process.

Cutting and punching are necessary for the production of virtually every part and are performed daily on TEC’s production floors. Because these operations demand an immense force, the equipment and metal blank being cut absorb high shock with each cut or punch. Combatting the problems that can arise with the stress of this extreme force is where TEC excellence comes into play.

Our engineers are well-versed in applications of cutting and punching that will meet the requirements to cut without over-shocking the punch, die, or press, and the material itself. This creates a stronger part in the long run that will not crack, warp, or experience other forms of undue failure.

There are some common problems associated with cutting and punching operations if the application is miscalculated in any way:

Without adequate cutting clearance, the metal under the pressure of a cut can be forced away from the punch before the cut line is fully met, causing a material collapse after the punch is pulled away.

The cutting clearance should also be altered depending on the shape of the cut. For example, a square cut will place pressure on the punch and metal in different spots than a round cut.

The cutting clearance will also change with differences in material composition and properties.

The difference between TEC and other metal stamping companies is the mark of high quality and excellence. To find out more about cutting, punching, and other operations in precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, contact Thomas Engineering Company at (763) 533-1501.

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Advantages of In-Die Tapping with Precision Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN

October 2nd, 2016 · 1 Comment

Metal stamping operations across the globe are largely universal, and in most cases, the common procedures in the manufacturing process are the best choices in terms of efficiency, cost, and accuracy. However, there are times when choosing one specific method of performing an operation over another can change the results in all aspects of production. At Thomas Engineering Company, we have over 50 years of experience with changing technologies, stamping operations, and materials, giving us the mastery to provide expert precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

An example of two metal stamping methods that are often disputed in the industry are different techniques of accomplishing tapping. Tapping creates threads in a part that makes up the female half of a male/female system. For example, the nut in a nut and bolt system. The two disputed methods of tapping are in-die tapping and off-line tapping.

Off-line tapping, or tapping in an additional operation with a secondary tapping die unit, is the traditional method of tapping. While this method is beneficial for highly complex or unusual parts, it inevitably adds time to the stamping process. Secondary tapping units are also only built to tap a specific part, and building a secondary tapping die to accommodate a new part adds cost and even more time to the process.

In-die tapping combines the stamping and tapping process into one. While this requires a new unit that accommodates both tapping and stamping as well as the training for and understanding of in-die tapping, the end results of an in-die tapping system will benefit the stamping company and the clients in several ways.

Advantages of in-die tapping affect the production cost and timeline of the stamping process, decreasing both and creating a highly efficient, streamlined operation. Similarly, in-die tapping also reduces the labor requirements needed to complete an order, which in turn allows an increased production rate for orders of all sizes. In many cases, in-die tapping can also improve part quality overall because it allows for higher thread quality and tapping precision.

While Thomas Engineering Company makes full use of in-die tapping in most cases for its numerous advantages, we also provide off-line tapping when its necessary to the production of any specific part. For more information about precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, contact us at (763) 533-1501 today.

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Stainless Steel and Precision Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN: The Perfect Ingredients for Quality Medical Parts

September 26th, 2016 · No Comments

The metal stamping industry has grown so exponentially over the past century that it now produces a significant number of parts in a wide range of industrial markets, from automotive to microelectronics and everything in between. The rapid advancements in stamping technology and design systems within the past 30 years has opened markets further to the production of precision-based metal stamped parts. At Thomas Engineering Company, we use today’s imaging and stamping technology to produce quality parts with precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

Our precision stamping capabilities allow our engineers and technicians to produce parts for the electronics, automotive, and medical industries. With our high precision abilities, we can use stainless steel to manufacture parts of optimal quality specific to the medical industry.

Stainless Steel

At TEC, parts made for the medical industry are stamped almost exclusively using stainless steel. For medical instruments in particular, stainless steel is the perfect material for its combination of several properties. Its strength and resistance to corrosion allows tools stamped with stainless steel to remain durable throughout medical procedures and exposure to frequent sterilization.

The surface of stainless steel also resists biological reactions, making it an optimal material to endure exposure to infections, viruses, and other biological matter.

TEC Precision

Medical instruments for surgery and other procedures must be able to be used in situations where exactness and intense accuracy is necessary. Often used in circumstances where a mishap could mean anything from a malpractice lawsuit to a matter of life or death, medical instruments need to be up to par. Our precision stamping production for the medical industry is able to meet the exacting requirements demanded of medical parts.

For more information about the industries we serve and medical parts made with precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, contact Thomas Engineering Company at (763) 533-1501.

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Measuring Metals Used in Precision Metal Stamping in Minneapolis, MN

September 12th, 2016 · No Comments

Today, the majority of mass-produced parts used in a wide range of industries and for a variety of purposes are formed using metal stamping techniques. Over the years, metal workers and engineers have come to understand the properties of metal, allowing them to optimize the type of metals or metal alloys to use in each specialized stamping process. This knowledge is a significant part of what makes the engineers at Thomas Engineering Company experts in the production of quality parts with precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

There are several properties of each type of metal and metal alloy that our engineers can recommend to help our customers choose the best material for the part and stamping process. Some of the basic properties considered include:

Ductility: Each metal has a unique ability to withstand and deform under stress without permanent damage or fatigue to the molecular structure. The measurement of a metal’s plasticity—AKA ductility—allows engineers to choose the material best-suited for how it will be deformed during the stamping process and the stress it will endure as a functioning part.

Conductivity: The conductive ability of a metal or metal alloy is measured in both thermal and electrical conductivity. Parts we produce for the electronics industry often use copper and copper alloys which have high rates of electronic conductivity and function well in the stamping of electronic connectors. Our engineers also consider the fact that metals with high thermal conductivity will serve a much different purpose than metals with a low thermal conductivity.

Density: The volume and mass of a metal is measured as its density. This essentially means that a heavier metal will have a higher density than a lighter metal. However, density is not to be confused with strength. In fact, many metals and metal alloys with high densities have a lower strength than those with a lower density. For example, gold has a high density and low strength, whereas aluminum has a low density and high strength in comparison.

Strength: Measured in several ways, strength is used to determine how a metal will behave under tension, compression, or other forms of stress. This is different from ductility, which determines how much a metal can be deformed and maintain structure. Strength measures a metal’s resistance to deforming stresses.

These basic properties of a metal are just some of the information engineers need to use to determine which metal will provide optimal performance as a specific part. Corrosion resistance, hardness, and visual properties are also considered when choosing a material.

For more information about the materials used in precision metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, contact Thomas Engineering Company at (763) 533-1501.

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