CAPABILITIES
DEEP DRAW PROCESS
“NEARLY PERFECT” IS NOT AN OPTION
Stronger and smarter component solutions for your business.
With extensive experience working with many different types and grades of metal, Trans-Matic serves a broad array of industries, including automotive, plumbing, lock and builders’ hardware, lawn equipment, and more. Each deep draw process we use ensures we deliver the precise parts you need in the most efficient way possible, and our testing gives you confidence that we ship quality deep draw parts.
Trans-Matic’s Deep Draw Stamping Process
Deep-drawn metal stamping is a technique that uses metal dies to form metal sheets into specified design shapes. Unlike standard metal stamping, deep-drawing creates deep stampings with a depth measuring at least half of their diameter. As a cold-forming process, deep drawing alters the metal at room temperature, which results in more robust, more durable components.
The deep-drawing process makes various products ranging from kitchen sinks and fire extinguishers to baking pans, solenoids, assembly housings, and aluminum cans. These deep-drawn objects may be functional, decorative, or both, depending upon the application.
Metal drawing provides a cost-effective solution for automotive, hardware, HVAC, plumbing, and numerous other industries.
01 Determine Scope
Trans-Matic produces deep drawn parts up to 9.5” long (240mm), using materials from 0.004” (0.100mm) to 0.180” (4.5mm) thick.
02 Cutting Blanks
Every deep-draw stamping starts as a flat disc of sheet metal, blanked from coiled stock. Trans-Matic improves material utilization by staggering our blanks to reduce scrap and material costs. The deep-draw transfer stamping process minimizes waste, meaning your parts are made with the minimum amount of material required and you aren’t spending money on metal that ends up in the scrap bin.
03 Starting Cup
After cutting the blank at the first die station, the blank is cupped around the nose of a punch and pressed into a die to form a cup. This first deep-draw forming operation increases the strength of the part through work hardening.
04 Keep Drawing
05 Custom Features
Trans-Matic produces highly customized deep draw parts for our customers. We utilize in-die stations to manufacture a variety of features:
- Beading
- Burnishing
- Chamfering
- Coining
- Embossing
- Extruding
- Flange forming
- Ironing
- Marking
- Bottom piercing
- Multiple side piercing
- Reverse drawing
- Rib forming
- Shaped flange trimming
06 Not Just Thorough
Trans-Matic averages two imperfections per million. For us, excellence means working each day to lower that fraction just a little bit.
The Benefits of Deep Drawn Metal Stamping
Many industries rely on components produced via deep-drawn metal stamping. The process offers myriad advantages over traditionally machined parts, including:
Ideal for Bulk Orders
Deep-drawn stamping can reliably produce large quantities of the same component. The tooling and dies can create thousands of identical units before they need replacement and the presses themselves run at high speeds. Large production runs gain economies of scale, eventually lowering the cost-per-unit on high-volume and bulk orders. Tooling is easily stored between runs, making it easy and inexpensive to reorder the same part later or place blanket orders.
Increased Production Speed
In general, the presses used in deep-drawn metal stamping produce goods at high speeds, making them well-suited to high-speed production. Different materials might require varying contact velocities that may impact production speed. However, if a product needs multiple draws, there are ways to optimize the cycle times by simultaneously performing those draws.
Cost-Effectiveness
Not only does deep-drawing condense production time, but it also makes use of durable tools and dies — so retooling is rarely required. Though deep-drawing is cost-effective, costs will vary according to material type and thickness and the size, number, location, and direction of any features on the part. Furthermore, deep drawing lowers costs by reducing waste. The manufacturing is precise and replicable, so the likelihood of errors or faulty components is incredibly low.
Reliable Tolerances Over Large Runs
After setting the tooling and dies, they can create hundreds of thousands of parts, all with the same tolerances. Deep-drawn projects are easily customizable, with extreme detail and accuracy repeated from unit to unit.
A Diverse Selection of Metals
Deep-drawing is suitable for a wide range of metals, including:
- Alloys
- Aluminum
- Brass
- Bronze
- Cold-rolled steel
- Copper
- Nickel
- Stainless steel
The ideal material depends upon the application, considering any particular needs for hardness, temperature tolerances, corrosion resistance, budget concerns, and more. Stainless steel and aluminum are standard in automotive manufacturing, while copper and nickel are used extensively in electronics.
Creates Strong, Durable Parts
These components are made with extreme compression force through a cold-working process, resulting in an enhanced crystalline structure in the metal that creates a robust finished product. While radial drawing stress and tangential compressive stress may pose challenges, an experienced deep-drawn stamping provider can easily overcome any potential defects with careful planning.
By considering the metal’s temperature and the die, friction, punch speed, depth and final shape of the object, and more, it’s possible to avoid stress defects while strengthening the metal as it takes on its new form.
Deep Drawing Process Used for Different Industry Applications
Numerous industries rely on deep-drawn parts, including:
- To resist corrosion and high heat or high pressure, Appliances use deep-drawn precision nozzles, housings for sensors, and various thermostatic components made from 300-series stainless steel that withstand high temperatures, high pressures, and corrosion.
- Automotive. Vehicles experience harsh conditions, such as vibrations, temperature extremes, and impacts. Components used in vehicles require durability to facilitate reliable operation. For this industry, durable, seamless deep-drawn parts include exhaust mufflers, leak-proof fluid containers, jounce bumpers, body mounts, engine mounts, and pins and connectors.
- Hydraulic and pneumatic valves. Valves containing deep-drawn components see broad usage across industries. These valves are often made with copper or stainless steel — sometimes with special coatings, depending upon the application.
- Medical. The medical sector relies on deep-drawn stamping for large production runs of syringes, insulin delivery devices, pacemakers, surgical devices, and temperature-sensing probe covers using stainless steel, titanium, and more.
Contact Trans-Matic for Precision Deep-Drawn Stamping
Trans-Matic was founded in 1968 as the first deep-draw metal stamping company in western Michigan. Since our humble beginnings, we’ve grown to become a leading global supplier, driven by a dedicated team of highly-skilled toolmakers, engineers, and more. Our state-of-the-art facility allows us to accept even the most complex projects, and we’re committed to growth and innovation, cost-effective solutions, and personalized customer care.
We have the skills and experience to deliver the high-quality, high-precision deep-drawn parts you need. Contact us to get started on your next project.