Metal Stamping China – Top 5 Things to Consider

China has continued to be a preferred manufacturing location for Amazon sellers despite the trade tensions in the recent times. Among the multitude of products sourced from China are stamped metal parts that find numerous applications in different industries.

Whether you are looking to source door handles, lighting parts, metal latches or other stamped metal parts for various industries and applications, you will need to consider these top five factors:

#1: Understand the basics of metal stamping

Before you start contacting suppliers in China for sourcing stamped metal parts, it is important for you to know the basic technology and processes used in metal stamping. This will help you gauge the expertise of the manufacturer in China and the processes they follow.

Metal stamping is also described as a cold-forming process or pressing where stamping presses and dies are utilized to transform flat sheet metal into desired shapes. Flat sheet metal pieces, typically called blanks, are fed into the stamping press featuring a die and tool surface that creates a new shape out of the blanks.

Custom metal stamping is the metal forming process where custom techniques and tools are used to produce specific parts for customers.

Metal fabricators and production facilities that offer stamping services place the stamping material in between die sections. The pressure applied will shear and shape the material into the final desired shape for the component or product.

There are numerous applications of metal stamping particularly in terms of three-dimensional (3D) lettering, designs as well as other surface engraving features. These metal stamping products are typically manufactured for home appliance manufacturers, the lighting industry, automotive companies, retail products, aerospace industries, telecommunications services, electronics companies and medical equipment manufacturers.

Every household is sure to have a product where the parts have been created using metal stamping from cars to household appliances.

The specific components and parts can include simple stamping items (springs, metal clips, brackets, weights and washers) to complex designs and components such as the ones seen in friction plates or engine bases. This specialized process can produce large machinery parts as well as incredibly detailed smaller parts. Parts that have minute diameters of 0.02 inches can also be produced with micro-precision stamping.

Metal stamping is also used to make electronic components through electronic stampings such as lead frames, pins, springs, contacts and terminals. These products find application in a variety of industries right from telecommunications, home electronics, aerospace and home appliances. A number of metals can be produced with electronic stamping including aluminium, steel, copper, copper alloys and expensive metals including gold and platinum.

Metal stampings are also widely used in electronic equipment, medical devices and computers. With various stamping processes, specialized shapes can be created and the cold forming process is used for making many electronic components.

Stamping operations can be performed along with other metal forming operations and usually there are a series of specific techniques or processes involved such as:

Blanking and punching are processes where a die is used to cut the sheet material into desired specific forms. For punching, a scrap material piece is removed from the workpiece when the punch enters into the die, leaving a hole in the material. On the other hand, in blanking, the workpiece is removed from the original material and the removed component is the desired blank or workpiece.