Metal Stamping Materials: Choose The Best For Your Project

“Metal stamping materials offer versatile solutions for shaping deep box-type or cylindrical parts, making them ideal for automotive, medical, and construction industries due to their cost-efficiency and precision.”

Sheet metal stamping is a metalworking process of shaping metals into desired forms using a punch, blanking die, bending die, and coining die. This technique is commonly used in automotive, medical, and construction industries because it offers a chance to produce many parts at a cheap price. Thus, when selecting the material for custom metal stamping, it is essential to consider the parameters of the future product and its sophistication level. Some of the well-known materials include copper, steel, and aluminum alloys. In this article, we will explain the characteristics of each material and the benefits that can be derived from their use. Ultimately, this lets you decide which material to use in your next metal for stamping project.  

Choosing The Right Material For Stamping: Things To Consider

Metal stamping

To determine the most suitable metal based on your project’s needs, consider the following criteria:

• Cost and Budget: Determine the material’s applicability to the project’s cost. 
• Workability: Ensure the material is pliable and shaped to have the correct product form. 
• Strength and Durability: Decide on the level of protection and the degree of protection for the application. 
• Environmental Suitability: One has to consider whether the material can withstand some of the conditions of the operating environment. 
• Evaluate the benefits that the material has throughout its life span. 

Considering the abovementioned factors, choosing among the many metal stamping materials available in the market would be easier. It can also be beneficial to work with a reliable metal stamping manufacturer to get advice from the manufacturer on which material is appropriate for the application. 

Stamping Materials: Features To Look At

Stamping metals

The materials used in stamping must meet certain critical factors that determine the production rate and quality of the final product. These characteristics encompass:  

1. Malleability: Materials used in stamping should have high flexibility so they can quickly be stamped without cracking or having a high spring back. 
2. Strength and Endurance: The material used has to be strong enough and ductile to take the mechanical loads that the part takes during stamping and in the environment where the final part is used. 
3. Surface Quality: The surface finish should be smooth and level; this is very important where aesthetics is an issue. 
4. Ductility: High ductility is desirable so the material does not crack or have flaws when bent during stamping. 
5. Welding Compatibility: If the stamped component goes through other welding processes, the material should be weldable and not be affected by the welding process. 

Common Metals Used For Stamping Parts

Choosing the suitable material that is required to be used in metal stamping is crucial to arrive at the correct part. The type of metals and alloys to be used is determined by specific attributes and the application of a part to be made. Different kinds of metals are typically utilized in precision metal stamping in many sectors: 

• Titanium alloys 
• Zinc alloys 
• Magnesium alloys 
• Nickel alloys 
• Cobalt alloys 

1. Copper Alloys

While pure copper metal is used frequently, it can be easily molded into various parts; the alloys are just as advantageous. These are brass, bronze, and nickel silver, thus making copper alloys to be very suitable for metal stamping. 

General Information about copper

Copper alloys have most of the desirable properties of copper, including electrical conduction, corrosive, and anti-bacterial characteristics. Moreover, these alloys are nonsparking and nonmagnetic. However, copper alloys have some drawbacks; they are comparatively soft and hence cannot be used where high strength is desired, like in buildings. They are soft and thus malleable to make thin wires and other designs of high accuracy as per the required specifications. This property is significant for electronics because the designs of these products are complex. 

Key Characteristics  

Copper alloys possess some peculiar properties; therefore, they are suitable for application in the following ways: 

• Corrosion Resistance: Copper alloys are very corrosion-resistant because they form a layer of oxide on the material’s surface. This layer is replenished during the manufacturing processes, and as such, the manufactured items are made more durable. 
• Aesthetic Appeal: These are available in shades of gold and yellow and are used in construction, ornamental, and consumer products. 
• Ductility: These alloys are among the easiest to form and are used where thin wires or complex shaping is called for. 
• Hygienic Properties: Copper is non-porous and does not rust; hence, it can be easily cleaned and used in the medical and food industries. It is also suitable for these uses because it is antimicrobial. 
• Electrical Conductivity: Although these copper alloys are not as conductive as copper, they are widely used in electronics and electrical industries. 
• Malleability: Copper alloys are relatively ductile, which makes it possible to bend and press them into various forms. 
• Environmental Durability: Copper does not degrade with time and exposure to the environment, such as UV radiation, high temperatures, and humidity, and does not become brittle or corrode. 
• Smooth Finish: The alloys are non-shiny, polished, and appropriate for use in parts that tend to rub against each other. 
• Thermal Conductivity: Copper is also a good conductor of heat, making it suitable for use where heat is evenly distributed, such as in cooking utensils and food processing equipment.  

2. Steel Alloys

Stainless steel stamped part

Iron carbon alloy, commonly called steel, is a widely used metal stamping material. It is available in powder, granules, pellets, tablets, and liquids; all of them are different in some way and suitable for some uses only. 

General Information 

Steel is widely known to be heavy, rigid, and pliable in its physical characteristics. Steel is an alloy, but other elements can be added to it to improve the characteristics of the material. Among the treatments performed before and after steel stamping, some can affect the increase in hardness and corrosion characteristics of the material because stainless steel does not rust like the other types of steel that may need to be galvanized to avoid rusting. Designers and engineers are always in a dilemma when using steel since it is solid and heavy. 

Key Characteristics 

Steel alloys are known for these properties:

• Versatile Machining Processes: As for the manufacturing of steel parts, one can use forging, machining, stamping, welding, and cutting. Thus, many processes can be applied. 
• Cost-Effectiveness: Steel alloys are comparatively cheaper, readily available, and are used by most people. For instance, Stainless steel, though a little expensive, is relatively cheap in the long run. 
• Magnetism: Steel is usually made of iron and pulled by a magnet unless it is stainless steel. 
• Strength: Steel alloys are strong and even stronger if tempered or heat-treated during manufacturing. 
• Variety of Alloys: The list of steel alloys is incredibly vast, and it is always possible to develop materials with specific characteristics and then use such processes as galvanization or hardening. Of these features, stamping steel alloys is applicable in many aspects of metal stamping due to strength, durability, and flexibility.

3. Aluminum Alloys

Aluminum stamped parts

Metal stamping employs aluminum alloys because they possess a high strength-to-weight ratio and are used in the aerospace, automobile, and electronics industries. These alloys offer a host of advantages: These alloys have several benefits: 

• Lightweight and Strong: Aluminum alloys are comparatively lightweight, but at the same time, they are solid, which provides the required strength without adding extra weight to the structure. This feature is particularly beneficial in industries where the product’s weight needs to be minimized, such as the aerospace and automobile industries.  
• Corrosion Resistance: They have excellent corrosion resistance and, as such, can be used in outdoor and marine applications without requiring any protective coating.  
• Malleability and Formability: Aluminum alloys have relatively low density, so they are very malleable and can easily be formed. This property allows the creation of several shapes and incredibly complex geometries during stamping. This flexibility is valuable when developing several part geometries and functional requirements.  
• Electrical and Thermal Conductivity: Aluminum alloys have good electrical and thermal conductivity properties. Because of this, they are ideal for applications where heat sinks and electrical conductivity are required, such as heat sinks and electrical enclosures.  
• Cost-Effectiveness: Aluminum alloys are usually more expensive than steel alloys at the beginning of the investment. However, they are more economical in the long run because they do not rust as quickly as steel alloys and are rarely replaced. This durability implies that the product does not wear out as frequently, resulting in less expenses in the long run.  
• Recyclability: These alloys can be recycled, which makes them eco-friendly in manufacturing processes. 

These attributes collectively make aluminum metal stamping a preferred option in metal stamping for industries requiring lightweight, high-strength, and corrosion-resistant parts.

4. Super or Specialty Alloys

Titanium stamped parts

Specialty metals may be defined as metals designed to be immune to conditions that cause them to corrode, degrade, or become brittle. This category mainly includes all such materials derived from titanium or nickel. 

Overview

Specialty metals are of different compositions compared to the standard metals used in stamping and, hence, do not have uniform characteristics. They find applications in aerospace, chemical, energy, marine, and nuclear industries where standard metals cannot be used. Specialty metals are generally costlier than others because they are more durable and scarce. Moreover, they are mainly classified as hard materials, which implies that they are challenging to mold or to be joined together, increasing the cost and difficulty of manufacturing techniques. 

The Prolean Tech specialists advise using standard alloys for final product components that do not need additional protection. It plays a significant role in minimizing cost and time taken in the different manufacturing processes. 

However, some of them require specialty metals to harness the features of the designs to their maximum potential. In such situations, the suppliers, metal manufacturers, or fabrication consultants can help recommend the most appropriate type of material to use depending on the type of project, the environment it will be subjected to, and the cost implication. 

Key Features

While specialty metals vary widely in composition, they typically share several vital properties essential for demanding applications. Specialty metals as a class are a relatively broad group of materials, but most of them share several essential properties that are important for high-performance applications: 

• Corrosion Resistance: All specialty metals are very resistant to corrosion; thus, they are appropriate for marine and industrial applications. 
• Heat Resistance: Some common uses of specialty metals are used in places where heat is used, such as in aircraft engines and industrial heating.  
• Strength and Durability: These metals are well known for their high strength and ability to take mechanical loads without failure when exposed to mechanical loads at the workplace

Common Specialty Alloy Types

• Nickel alloys, superalloys, or exotic alloys are widely used in metal stamping due to their high stress tolerance. Nevertheless, these alloys have specific mechanical issues.
• Hastelloy: Hastelloy is used in metal stamping due to its ability to withstand severe chemical attacks and corrosive, high-temperature environments; it is used in aerospace, chemical processing, and industrial heating parts. 
• Inconel: Inconel is famous for its fatigue strength and heat- and corrosion-resistant features. It is widely used in metal stamping for chemical processing pipes, industrial fastening systems, and medical equipment.  
• Monel: Monel is used where there is the likelihood of corrosion and conditions of high temperature and varying temperatures. It is commonly used in metal stamping of oil and gas manufacture, defense equipment, chemicals, and marine industries. 

These superalloys have critical uses where other materials cannot deliver the characteristics of segments such as aerospace, chemical processing, and other notable industries.

Metal Stamping & Material Selection with Prolean

The right material selection for metal stamping determines the application’s performance. Since there are many materials to choose from, the best one depends on the specific needs of a particular project. Prolean’s metal stamping service covers everything from optimal material selection to fabricating end-use products. Our team has years of experience to help you determine the suitable material for your project. If you are still trying to decide which material to use in your application or are already prepared to begin your metal stamping project, please contact us for assistance and a quote that fits your needs.