Posts by accurateforstg

The Occupational Safety and Health act of 1970 (OSH Act) states that, “all employers shall provide a work environment that is free from known dangers.” Workplace hazards vary based on the type of work specific to the industry.

In the metal industry, workers are exposed to a variety of physical and environmental hazards that by OSHA law must be managed and minimized by the employer.

Deep drawn metal stamping is no different. Metal forming companies must maintain the highest level of hazard awareness and standards in order to ensure that every employee returns home each day in the same condition as they arrived. This is not only good business practice, it is the law.

The deep drawn metal stamping process is constantly being analyzed and improved to ensure the complete safety of the operators. Procedures such as the JHA, or Job Hazard Analysis, ensure that the process remains at the highest level of safety standard.

In the JHA, both the engineer and the operator discuss each step of the manufacturing process to identify any hazards that might be present. As well as looking at accident history and getting the input of the employees who operate the machines to get their input.

As these hazards are identified, the safety team decides on the most appropriate measures to eliminate or manage the hazard.

When it comes to choosing the right deep drawn metal stamping company for your next project, one of the most important factors to consider is the quality of the support that the company provides. From the first contact to the final review, a good deep drawn company will provide top quality support and service.

There are a few major types of deep drawn support that customers should always expect from their suppliers.

Customer Service

These folks are the front line of any good business. They set the tone and are critical in providing a good first impression. They know what information will be needed, and where to direct the customer to get the project rolling. Often an overlooked role, a good customer service agent can make or break the customer’s opinion of the company.

Sales Support

These are the people who know the products inside and out. They provide initial direction to the new customer, as well as on-going support as the project is underway. Often, a customer may know what they want from a product, but not know quite how to get there. Any good sales staff has the experience and knowledge to help choose the best product for any application.

Engineering Support

The engineering team has the wealth of knowledge required to transform concept to creation. They know what the process can and cannot do. From initial concept to the final design review, the engineering team offers technical deep drawn support and answers any questions the customer might have about the product.

Project Management

These are the people who put it all together. They are the customer’s direct line of support, and take personal responsibility to make sure the project is completed right the first time. A good Project Manager is focused on the big picture. Cost, design, timeline and delivery are all managed and communicated to the customer from the first call to final inspection.

Any good deep drawn stamping supplier will have members on staff that fill these roles and provide all the support needed to make the customers project a success, time and time again. If you aren’t sure whether your supplier does…ask!

By definition, value added operations include additional processes or features that enhance the product and meet specific customer needs. As a consumer, the perception of value drives our purchasing decisions. This value can be in forms such as lower cost, higher quality, or faster service. When comparing products or services that are similar, a knowledgeable consumer looks at perceived added value in order to make the best decision. Whether the value is real such as lower cost, or more of a perception such as brand name status, it is these added value factors that drive customers to choose one offering over another.

In the deep drawn metal stamping industry, it is always important to look for a supplier that not only provides high quality deep drawn parts but also has the ability to perform value adding secondary operations that create a part that is unique and fits the customer’s specifications.

The ability of a deep drawn supplier to perform these secondary operations provides the customer with a completed part that is low cost and ready to use. Operations such as slotting, piercing, notching, bead rolling, powder coating, electrostatically applied lacquer, and chamfering are all examples of additional steps that add value to the customer.

Other value added operations to look for in a deep drawn supplier include those which personalize the finished part and are unique to the customer such as name stamping, plating, and assembly. These finishing steps provide great value to the customer by reducing the amount of complexity of the project and providing a one-stop solution.

As a customer, finding a deep drawn supplier who offers value adding operations such as those listed here saves time and money. After all, any good supplier should make the project easier, not more complex. A willingness to work with the customer, engage with and understand the needs of the project, and the flexibility to offer a long list of value adding operations is what sets a good deep drawn metal stamping supplier from the rest.

Times have changed. Technology has brought the world closer together and made it easier than ever to share information over a broad spectrum. Information that was once only available through trade shows is now readily available to anyone with internet access.

Known as blogs, these mini websites contain vast amounts of quality information, both fact and opinion, and are a veritable treasure trove of knowledge on almost any subject.

Industrial blogs are no different. Manufacturers worldwide are able to post news, product updates, share information regarding market trends, and virtually any other information that is important to share.

There are many Industrial blogs out there, some general, others industry-specific, but they all share a wealth of information that’s just a click away. Listed here are five of the most common and trusted industrial blogs today.

ThomasNet.com, Industry Market Trends

If you aren’t familiar with ThomasNet.com, they are well known and respected as one of the top authorities on all things industrial. Their blog, as the name implies, focuses on current market trends in industry and is a valuable source of trustworthy information.

Manufacturing.Net

Dating back to the year 2000, this industrial blog focuses on manufacturing and product news. Trends, new developments and ideas are all at your fingertips.

AmericanManufacturing.Org

Founded in 2007, this blog is operated by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a not-for-profit organization. Information in this blog is specific to each state in the U.S. and is a terrific source of information for local news and trends.

MAPI.Net, Manufacturing Outlook Blog

This well managed industrial blog is a collection of authors and content with a focus on the economic side of manufacturing. While the content is often in opinion format, the information is data driven and trustworthy. The site is searchable by author, so you can follow a specific writer if you wish.

Reshorenow.Blogspot.Com

As the name implies, this industrial blog is focused on manufacturing that is based and operated in the continental U.S. Additionally, the blog provides useful information for companies that may be looking to return operations to U.S. soil. This localized specialization makes the blog very useful to onshore industries as well as those located elsewhere.

Industrial blogs are fast becoming the most popular form of information gathering available. Even smaller companies have well written informative blogs that are worth the click!

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The deep drawn metal stamping process holds a clear advantage over other types of metal forming in several key ways. Cost is low, quality is high, and the process is known to be efficient and accurate. But what about the screw machine process? The capabilities seem similar, and in some cases the final products look about the same.

Volume

The deep drawn stamping process handles large volume projects with ease. High line speeds, low downtime, minimal operator interaction, and the ability of most parts to be created in a continuous operation combines to make deep draw one of the fastest high volume processes available. By comparison the screw machine process is typically a single part operation, which means fewer parts per minute and higher operator interaction.

Cost

Let’s not forget the cost factor. Typically, the cost of the finished part is based on factors such as material used and the amount of machining time required. The same process features that allow the deep draw process to generate higher volumes than other methods also mean greatly reduced costs. Less machine time per part, low labor involvement, and high line speeds make deep drawn stamping one of the lowest cost per part processes available.

Quality

By design, the deep drawn process maintains a very high repeatability between parts and from batch to batch. This means high quality, less scrap, and satisfied customers every time. Other processes just don’t measure up.

On the surface many manufacturing process may appear similar while in reality each is very unique in strengths and weaknesses. It always pays to dig in, get your hands dirty, and research. In most cases, those little differences mean higher costs!

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When someone talks about the deep drawn process and the products that are created by it, the topic seldom turns to helping humanity. In fact, most of the time when someone thinks or talks about any manufacturing process they have very distinct pre-conceived notions. They might consider parts that are used in the automotive industry, or industrial products. Certainly all of these things are in fact created by manufacturing processes such as deep drawn metal stamping, so the notion is not completely incorrect.

Fact is however, that the products created by the deep drawn process have always played an important role in making the world a better place. Nowhere is this more evident than in the medical industry. Some of the most common medical instruments that help save lives every day are created using the deep drawn metal stamping process.

Items such as insulin delivery devices that help make a diabetes patient more comfortable and independent, precision crafted catheters, components of nebulizer and aerosol treatment equipment that help people breathe better, are all produced using the deep drawn process.

The deep drawn process is uniquely suited for medical equipment due to the fact that deep drawn products are seamless. This is critical in a sterile environment as it prevents bacteria from collecting in the narrow seams. Other processes that require joining two or more sections to create a part leave behind seams that can later corrode, causing issues of contamination as well as durability.

Deep drawn products are also typically stronger than similar products created through other processes. The unique cold working attribute of deep drawn parts make them durable and precise, even over time. This feature makes deep draw the chosen process for industries all over the world, creating products that you use and see every day.

Truth is, no matter where you look, there is a good possibility that deep drawn products have played an important role. Whether it is the insulin delivery device that allows people everywhere to self-administer life-saving drugs, or the nebulizer that helps a child to breathe better, deep drawn parts play a critical role in our world.

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Keep it simple.

These are buzz words for any good engineer or inventor to follow. Legends surrounding the creation of the space pen seem to indicate that early in the space program, American scientists didn’t quite grasp the concept.

The most commonly accepted legend of the space pen tells us that during the race to send humans into space it was determined that astronauts needed a writing tool that would operate in zero gravity, write at any angle, survive extreme temperatures, and work on any surface. The ability for the astronauts to make notations, take notes, make reference marks and so on was critical to a mission’s success.

The legend goes on to tell us how American scientists spent “millions” of taxpayer dollars in research in order to develop such a pen. If this isn’t bad enough, the myth also tells us that our competitors in the space-race, Russia, solved the problem by simply handing out pencils.

It certainly seems from this myth that our scientists were a bit off the mark, not to mention big spenders. It’s a fun myth, but let’s set the record straight.

In the beginning of the space program, the US also sent pencils with the astronauts. After the disastrous fire of Apollo 1 in 1967 the space program adopted strict policies regarding flammable items in the space craft. In a high oxygen environment, even the smallest amount of fuel such as the wood in a pencil can be a disaster. Not to mention the hazard of chipped leads and frayed wood particles floating around the zero gravity compartment. NASA realized that they needed a very specialized writing tool and worked towards a solution. But the solution they found did not have a million dollar price tag.

The answer was created by a small company led by a man named Paul C Fisher. Fisher realized that the astronauts needed a very specific solution, and spent just under one million US dollars of his own money to develop a unique space pen that would meet the demands of the space program. After several years, he succeeded, and the first AG-7 Space Pen was developed. After rigorous testing, NASA accepted the pen as standard space program equipment.

The pen worked perfectly in any environment. Not a dollar of taxpayer money was spent. Total cost to the US Government? $2.95 each.

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