Exit

Author Archives: John DeBone

  1. Tips for Finding and Switching to a Better Deep Drawn Stamping Partner

    Leave a Comment

    Deep drawn stamping is a metal stamping method used to create components that are deeper than they are wide. It is suitable for producing hollow parts and products that lightweight and seamless without sacrificing strength or stability. However, manufacturers must have the right knowledge, skills, and tools to form them successfully.

    The following article outlines some of the things to look for in an ideal deep drawn component manufacturer. Additionally, it discusses how to switch suppliers if your current manufacturing partner does not meet your needs.

    Importance of Deep Drawn Components

    Deep drawn components are found in devices and equipment for a wide range of industries, such as:

    Given the important role deep drawn components play in many industrial applications and processes, it is essential to partner with an experienced and knowledgeable deep drawn stamping company to ensure the parts and products you need function and perform as intended.

    Deep Drawn Component Supplier Selection Considerations

    Tips for Finding and Switching to a Better Deep Drawn Stamping Partner

    Click to Expand

    There are many factors to consider when choosing a deep drawn component manufacturer for a project. Some of the key considerations to keep in mind include:

    Manufacturing Capabilities

    Your deep drawn component supplier should have the skills and tools to accommodate your manufacturing needs with regard to material, design, and production volume and produce components that fully meet your specifications and standards. Additionally, if you’re looking for a long-term partnership, they should be able to adjust their operations to match increasing or decreasing demand.

    Quality Control Policies and Procedures

    One way of determining whether a deep drawn supplier is right for your project is to review their quality control policies and procedures. They should have quality standards that align with your own and the equipment and processes in place to ensure your components meet them.

    Competitive and Innovative Drive

    The manufacturing sector is highly competitive. Companies must be willing to invest in new technologies and technologies to ensure they can keep up with current demand and provide customers with the best possible products and services.

    Customer Service

    Your manufacturing partner should understand your needs. Additionally, they should be open to working with you to develop a manufacturing solution that fits them.

    Company Reputation

    Avoid working with companies with a bad reputation. While you should take negative customer reviews with a grain of salt, they can be indicative of potential issues with the company’s products and/or services.

    Certifications

    If your industry or industrial application is subject to specific standards, your manufacturing partner should be able to create components that comply with those standards. For example, if you’re doing business in the aerospace industry, they should have AS9100D certification and produce components that follow the standard’s guidelines.

    Switching Deep Drawn Stamping Partners

    If your current deep drawn stamping supplier does not match what you’re looking for in a manufacturing partner, you should consider switching to one that better suits your needs. Once you’ve decided on a new partner, you should keep in the following tips in mind to ensure a smooth transition:

    • Confirm whether you or your current partner owns your tools. If you do not own the tools, you will need to budget for the production of new tooling.
    • Verify that your new partner has a thorough understanding of your material needs, tolerance requirements, and desired applications. If they do not, you should communicate with one of their representatives or consider other options.
    • Ensure your current and future projects will be finished on time. If you have active projects with your current partner, make sure you finish them. Before switching completely to the new partner, perform a test run to verify they can finish your projects.
    • Consider reshoring, nearshoring, or diversifying to multiple suppliers. These partnerships allow you to establish a more resilient supply chain. Read more about reshoring here.

    Deep Drawn Stamping and Metal Drawing From Hudson Technologies

    At Hudson Technologies, we’ve provided custom deep drawn metal parts and products for over 80 years. This experience, combined with our broad range of manufacturing capabilities and highly skilled team, allows us to produce precise, complex, and/or high-performance components for some of the most demanding customer applications.

    For more information on our metal stamping services, visit our Capabilities page or download our eBook. To discuss your project requirements with one of our experts, contact us or request a quote today.

  2. Choosing the Right Sheet Metal for Your Manufactured Components

    Leave a Comment

    Choosing the right sheet metal for your manufactured components is crucial in ensuring that your parts will perform optimally. To make sure you choose the correct sheet metal, it is important to consider factors such as material, size, design, and tolerance requirements as well as manufacturing and fabrication processes that the material will undergo.

     

    Material and Size

    There are many metal and alloy options to choose from when selecting a sheet metal material. To ensure that you choose the appropriate material for your particular needs, it is important to ask the following questions:

    • What is the desired size of your component?
    • How strong does your component need to be?
    • Does the material need to be easy to work with in terms of weldability, ductility, tensile strength, and machinability?
    • What is the budget for your project?
    • Is your component going to be used in an application, such as automotive or aerospace, that requires an excellent strength-to-weight ratio?

     

    Design and Tolerance

    When choosing a sheet metal for your manufactured parts, it is necessary to consider design and tolerance requirements such as:

    • water jet cuttingWall thickness
    • Bend allowance
    • K-factor
    • Orientation of holes and slots

     

    Manufacturing Processes Utilized

    The sheet metal you choose needs to be capable of withstanding the manufacturing processes that your component may undergo before completion. Some common manufacturing processes include:

    • laser cuttingLaser cutting. Laser cutting is ideal for precision designs with tolerances up to +/-0.005″.
    • Waterjet cutting. Waterjet cutting uses a high-pressure jet of water containing abrasive particles to cut plates of metal up to 150mm thick.
    • Bending forms the metal by applying stress along an axis with the use of V-bend dies, goose-neck dies, U-bend dies, or others, depending on the sheet metal bending design considerations.
    • Machinists can form a hollow or curved surface by drawing the metal into a die using a mechanical punch.
    • Annealing involves heating the metal to a specific temperature for a fixed period then cooling slowly to change the microstructure. Annealing softens and improves the machinability of metal and provides enhanced electrical conductivity.

     

    Fabrication Processes

    Fabrication involves finishing corners and closing gaps to enhance or maintain the shape and integrity of the finished product. Techniques like welding, riveting, and brazing join the metal, although the process used will depend on the component’s material.

    Common welding techniques include:

    • TIG welding. Tungsten inert gas, or TIG welding, does not use filler metal. Instead, it uses a tungsten electrode in an inert atmosphere of argon or helium to achieve a strong, high-quality, precise weld that is environmentally friendly.
    • MIG welding. Metal inert gas, or MIG welding, is a cost-effective, fast, and clean option when compared to TIG welding. However, it is less reliable and more hazardous than TIG welding.
    • Brazing is a joining method used for aluminum and brass components.

    Knowing the differences between these processes is important as the one you choose will directly affect the final product as well as the cost.

     

    Designing the Optimal Solution With Hudson Technologies

    Hudson Technologies has a long history of partnering with companies to design high-performance metal components. We routinely work with design engineers to create everything from single prototypes to large-scale production runs. For more information on our capabilities, contact us today, and for more help on choosing the right sheet metal for your project, download our eBook, Choosing the Right Material.

  3. Metal Stamping Custom Components

    Leave a Comment

    When you partner with an experienced, industry-leading parts manufacturer, you’ll gain access to a wealth of standard tooling options from which to choose. Occasionally, however, standard offerings may not be enough. If you are considering one or more custom components, it is helpful to understand when you should seek custom manufacturing as opposed to standard, and what to keep in mind to make the most beneficial selection.

     

    Custom vs. Standard Deep Drawn Manufacturing

    Most projects can be accomplished with standard deep drawing dies, even if they include complex geometries. But when you use standard components instead of designing new components from scratch, your options will necessarily be limited and might not suit your needs. If you want an angle, depth, or shape that is uncommon, for example, you might need to engineer and commission prototypes to build a part that’s fully customized.

    However, this process is expensive and takes more time than using standard parts. To reap the benefits of both custom and standard solutions, look for a manufacturer who can modify existing components to fit your specifications. This process is called a “custom-standard” solution, and if these changes are minor, it will usually be faster and more affordable than developing a new component from scratch. Cans, cases, enclosures, covers, and headers are all relatively easy to modify with deep draw manufacturing. For example, if you have a standard can with a welded or brazed bracket, a manufacturer can replace the can with a custom version that has a drawn flange. In this scenario, the manufacturer will have provided a custom-standard solution that’s more effective than the standard option but faster and less expensive than building the part from scratch.

     

    Common Deep Drawn Modifications

    Many changes can be incorporated into standard deep-drawn components. For example, beads, ribs, holes, inserts, notches, slots, trimming, embossing, dimpling, and marks can all be added during the deep draw tooling process to create a near-custom component. Brackets can also be attached, and paint, powder coating, silk-screened graphics, and various plating types are available as well. These secondary standard modifications, when integrated into the deep draw manufacturing process, can reduce the production length and cost, as well as improve the product’s overall quality.

     

    Benefits of Custom Finishes

    Custom finishes can be applied at the end of the deep draw metal stampings process. Many options provide unique capabilities or attributes for specific applications. Operations like marking, for example, adds identifying numbers, letters, or graphics to a part. Embossing engraves shallow characters into the metal or raises the surface to create punctuated characters. Notches and threading are two processes that facilitate an appropriate fit.

    Further efficiencies can often be gained by having a custom deep-drawn part delivered that’s already prefinished with paint or a chemical film to provide corrosion-resistance (a process called passivation). Electro-polishing, plating, brazing, laser drilling, and laser etching are all finishing services that alter the material’s surface and can serve a practical or aesthetic purpose.

     

    What Is “Part Complete?”

    If a system is part complete, it means all the necessary operations are performed in one process. This approach provides many advantages over traditional, multi-level assembly; in general, it offers better accuracy, efficiency, and turnaround time, as long as all the technical requirements can still be met.

    If you need to execute secondary operations after receiving a part, talk with a manufacturer to determine if some of these operations can be addressed during the deep draw process. By consolidating these steps, you might be able to make assembly more cost-efficient and eliminate opportunities for human error.

    Click here to download our Catalog vs. Custom Deep Draw Metal Stamping eBook →

    Hudson’s Standard Tooling Library

    Before requesting a quote from a deep-draw manufacturer, look at their tooling library. The manufacturer should have a catalog of standard products without additional tooling charges, which will help to control your overall costs and lead time. Even if some tooling is required, a manufacturer with an extensive standard library can often use their existing components to provide a cost-effective solution.

    Hudson Technologies’ standard tooling library contains over 15,000 unique components. We make it easy to find precisely what you need by allowing users to search by the part number, keyword, size, diameter, shape, application, or material. Thanks to our extensive catalog, we can modify existing components to let you decide which properties you want to have in your final component. Whether you want a nonstandard finish or an improved assembly process, Hudson Technologies can provide a standard, custom, or custom-standard solution that suits all your needs.

    Click here to browse our standard catalog→

     

    Custom Component Solutions from Hudson Technologies

    Hudson Technologies is an AS9100D-certified company that has been designing and manufacturing the highest-quality metal stamping solutions since 1940. In 2007, we also converted our 115,000-square-foot facility to 100% green manufacturing. If you need to create custom components, Hudson Technologies can offer deep drawn stamping services that will improve your product quality and optimize lead time. To get started on your next custom component solution, or discuss which stamping service is right for you, contact Hudson Technologies today.

  4. Metal Stamping for the Aerospace Industry

    Leave a Comment

    When it comes to the aerospace industry, there is no room for manufacturing error. The tight tolerances and precision measurements required doesn’t allow for “good enough,” it must be perfect. Whether you need a small, precise connector, a stamped metal clip part, spring, complex gearhead, or steel airframe component, metal stamping can allow you to create a multitude of parts small and large.

    Deep-Drawn Stamping for Precise Tolerances

    The deep drawing process itself is not too complicated. Through the action of a punch, a sheet metal blank is drawn into a die. As the die forms the metal around the punch, the blank is formed into a specified three-dimensional shape little by little. It’s considered a “deep draw” when the depth of the drawn part is greater than its diameter.

    This type of process can produce both symmetrical and asymmetrical parts. Deep drawn metal stamping (DDS) is versatile and produces strong metal parts. The drawing process leads to a finished deep-drawn part stronger than the original raw material used to manufacture it. This is critical when manufacturing aerospace parts, for example.

    Aerospace Components Manufactured with Deep-Drawn Stamping

    Because deep drawing creates strong, exacting parts within tight tolerances, they are ideal for producing components that interact with other configurations. Our metal stampings are often used in the following equipment for Aerospace applications:

    • Instrumentation
    • Oxygen generating systems
    • Military aircraft housings and enclosures
    • Relays, switches and lighting systems

  5. Standard vs. Custom Metal Stamping

    Leave a Comment

    Metal stamping is a process that transforms flat sheets of metal into different shapes. It is done through a process called cold forming, using dies and stamping presses. A high volume of identical components can be produced with metal stamping, and it is generally faster and more affordable than other metal fabrication processes.

    While many tooling processes can be accomplished with speed, economy, and a high degree of quality and reliability, there are times when custom metal stamping will offer superior results. The challenge for customers attempting to choose between custom and standard metal stamping hinges on their budgetary and time restrictions. Custom tooling necessitates investing in the product research, development, and testing, whereas standard metal stamping products have already been vetted for defined applications.

    Benefits of Standard Metal Stamping

    When the word “custom” is used to describe a part, particularly within a highly specialized field, it can be perceived as preferable to a standard line of products. However, many components that are now standard started as custom projects. Even though custom parts are tailored to the user’s exact specifications, they may not necessarily be the best choice when you consider the time and cost that it takes to produce them. Standard components take advantage of economies of scale in production, and they also benefit from years of testing and retooling to make designs as efficient as possible.

    Hudson Technologies has an extensive catalog of metal stamping options that can give quality results that rival custom metal stamping. Over our history, we have developed our own standard tolerances, which we adhere to stringently. We can also modify our standard offerings to include even stricter tolerances or modifications with little to no custom tooling.

    The benefits of choosing from our standard tools and parts offerings include:

    • Choice: A vast array of over 15,000 available shapes & sizes.
    • Flexibility: Easily modifiable components with brackets, holes, slots, thread inserts, and more optional features.
    • Finish: You can choose the finishing options that best fit your application.
    • Assembled-to-Order: We offer subassembly of other components into the enclosure.

    Benefits of Custom Metal Stamping

    Standard vs. Custom Metal Stamping

    There are also times, however, when the specification for your product requires customized tooling. For these situations, Hudson Technologies has years of experience designing, manufacturing, and finishing custom metal parts using metal stamping. We can engineer a solution that meets your budgetary and performance requirements, and our customers retain full ownership of the proprietary component after the project is finished.

    Our 15,000-sq.-ft., AS9100D-certified facility can produce parts of any shape or size. For our customers, that means we can meet or exceed market standards and ensure products are created consistently with the highest-quality materials, even when parts are fabricated to tight tolerances.

    Choosing Hudson Technologies for your custom-made metal stamping products provides many advantages, including:

    • Accuracy: The technical capability to adhere to exact client specifications.
    • Reliability: Design and engineering teams that leverage their expertise to meet performance, cost, and manufacturability requirements.
    • Customization: In-house custom tooling to fit unique applications.
    • Proprietary Ownership: Complete customer ownership of tooling upon product completion.

    Metal Stamping Services From Hudson Technologies

    All of Hudson Technologies’ tooling is performed in-house with quality, reliability, and manufacturability in mind. We take great pride in our creative collaborations with our customers to ensure they get exactly what they need, whether it is adjusting standard metal stamping components or creating custom ones. Our teams run a total of 130 forming presses around the clock.

    To learn more about our metal stamping services, contact us today. You may also submit a request for a quote online.

  6. Corrugated Metal Diaphragms

    Leave a Comment

    The team at Hudson Technologies is proud to specialize in custom metal diaphragms, which we create using advanced tool designs and sophisticated power press technology.

    Put simply, metal diaphragms are thin, circular plates that elastically deform when subjected to axial loading or pressure. These mechanical seals are typically manufactured by forming a thin metal sheet into a ripple shape. Depending on their intended use, metal diaphragms can be corrugated, domed, or flat; corrugated types are the most versatile and widely used. Flat diaphragms can usually be mass produced, but corrugated diaphragms require a proprietary tool for the manufacturing process. They have greater deformability and a linear characteristic curve.

    Metal diaphragms are available in a variety of materials and sizes, and can be used in many different applications. Hudson offers metal diaphragms made of Inconel®, Haynes® 242®, Hastelloy®, titanium, Monel®, and 17-7 PH stainless steel. The ideal profile shape will depend on specific pressure, cycle life, and deflection requirements.

    Hudson offers a wide selection of standard-catalog corrugated diaphragms, ranging in size from 1” to 3” in diameter.

    The Benefits of Using Corrugated Metal Diaphragms

    There are a number of advantages to using corrugated metal diaphragms. First, they achieve a larger linear range with improved mechanical sensitivity. Next, the corrugations can greatly improve pressure regulation and deflection. And finally, corrugated diaphragms provide accurate spring rates and long cycle life.

    Corrugated diaphragms allow for higher deflection than flat diaphragms, at the same working pressure. Studies have also shown that the sensitivity of corrugated diaphragms can be easily controlled by changing parameters such as the thickness of sheet, the depth of corrugation, and the pitch of corrugation.

    Common Applications for Corrugated Metal Diaphragms

    Corrugated metal diaphragms are ideal for high-pressure applications and high-temperature applications, such as mechanical seals, edge-welded bellows, pressure transducers, pneumatic modular instruments, electronic control instruments, and medical devices.

    These diaphragms can be used to achieve various goals, including:

    • Regulating pressure systems
    • Converting movement into measurable communication with machinery
    • Creating a physical barrier between opposing forces in liquids and gases
    • Acting as a membrane for the pumping of fluids
    • Serving as a highly reliable failure point, protecting equipment from hazardous overpressure conditions
    • Ensuring reliable performance for every job, allowing for cycling of up to millions of strokes
    • Working in extreme environments (e.g., those involving high temperatures and corrosion)

    Learn More

    Hudson Technologies has been an industry-leading metal diaphragm designer and manufacturer since our founding in 1940. With a reputation for high precision and unparalleled quality, we provide ultimate peace of mind to our customers through our stringent quality control protocol, AS9100D certification, and 13485:2003 and 14001:2004 compliance.

    From one-piece orders to high-volume production, our team is with you every step of the way. To learn more about Hudson Technologies’ manufacturing practices and custom metal diaphragm capabilities, reach out to our experts today. We’re on hand to answer any questions you may have, and will guide you through every step of the process to ensure you receive a solution that meets your exact needs.

  7. Choosing the Right Metal Stamping & Drawing Supplier

    Leave a Comment

    At Hudson Technologies, we are an industry-leading manufacturer of custom deep drawn metal parts and products. Equipped with decades of manufacturing experience and a broad range of standard and custom production capabilities, our team creates stampings for applications requiring precise, complex, and/or high-performance components. We accommodate customer projects involving a variety of metals (e.g., aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, cold rolled steel, etc.) and prototype to high-volume production quantities. press with die set

    Metal stamping is a metalworking process that employs a tool and die set within a stamping press to form metal into the desired shape. Deep drawing is a metal stamping technique that “draws” (i.e., pulls) the workpiece material into the die cavity during operations, resulting in a part whose depth equals or exceeds its width. Compared to other forming processes, it allows for the creation of seamless and lightweight parts without sacrificing strength or structural stability. However, successfully producing these parts necessitates having the proper manufacturing experience, production capabilities and capacities, and certifications.

    The following article outlines the qualities to look for when choosing a metal stamping and drawing supplier and how Hudson Technologies is the ideal partner.

    Commitment to Quality

    While cost is an important consideration when vetting potential deep drawn stamping suppliers, there are many other factors to keep in mind to ensure you receive the greatest value from your chosen manufacturing partner. One of the primary ones is the company’s commitment to quality—i.e., what measures they take to ensure the parts and products they produce meet high quality standards. This can encompass a variety of aspects of a company, such as:Production & Employee Quality

    • Material quality. The ideal deep drawn stamping supplier should invest in the highest quality materials for the production of the desired parts and products, regardless of whether you require aluminum, brass, copper, HY-MU 80, nickel, stainless steel, steel, titanium, or another specialty material.
    • Product quality. Your partner should maintain a comprehensive quality control program to ensure every product fully meets your specifications and standards before it is packaged and shipped to your facility.
    • Employee quality. The manufacturing partner you choose should have the knowledge skills to accommodate your exact part/product requirements, which necessitates employing designers, engineers, and machine operators who have the proper experience and workmanship.

    Choosing a partner that emphasizes quality in everything they do—such as Hudson Technologies—ensures the quality of your products and business.

    Production Capabilities & Capacity

    As indicated above, the manufacturing partner you select should be able to accommodate your part and production requirements, meaning they should have the stamping capabilities and capacities to produce the designs you require to the specifications and standards you require in the volumes you require. Some of the qualities indicative of such a company include:

    • Comprehensive standard product catalog. A sizable standard product catalog saves you time and money, as you are less likely to require investment in custom tooling.
    • Extensive industry experience. An experienced team is more effective and efficient at tackling any challenges that may arise during the project.
    • Vast material sourcing network. A big sourcing network makes it easier to source any materials required for the project.
    • Broad flexibility. A flexible stamping partner is better able to accommodate changes in the part design, customer demand, and more. In addition to their standard product capabilities, they may offer custom solutions for highly specific or unique requirements.
    • Fast response time. A responsive partner ensures the initial consultation and all other communications occur swiftly and smoothly.

    Industry Certifications

    In addition to their experience, another indicator of a quality stamping partner is their certifications. Certifications indicate a company complies with the requirements and restrictions set forth by the industry and industry organizations. For stamping operations, the relevant certifications include: Industry Certifications

    • Quality Standards. This certification targets companies that create products or provide services for the aerospace industry. It indicates, among other things, a company implements sufficient measures to prevent the production of flawed or faked parts, maintain flexibility in the face of fluctuating demands, and address safety concerns.

    Contact Hudson Technologies For Your Next Deep Draw & Metal Stamping Project Today

    At Hudson Technologies, we are the ideal partner for any deep draw metal stamping project. By choosing us, you benefit from our complete commitment to quality, comprehensive production capabilities and capacities, and numerous industry certifications. To learn more about our metal stamping solutions or partner with us, contact us or request a quote today.

  8. Reshoring Efforts and Using Domestic Manufacturing Partners

    Leave a Comment

    COVID-19 has drastically impacted consumers and businesses alike. For businesses, some of the early challenges involved closing offices and getting employees to work from home, but another major concern was disruption to the supply chain. Companies that get their materials or goods from overseas were suddenly unable to operate because of a lack of supplies.

    The pandemic exposed a major weakness and brought attention to the need for domestic manufacturing of our most essential supplies. Following a trend that has been occurring over the last several years, some companies have been re-shoring manufacturing operations in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Sourcing materials and manufacturing in the United States will give companies more control over production during challenging times.

     

    COVID-19’s Impact on US Manufacturing

    Some industries in the United States are served extensively by imported goods. As foreign factories closed and shipping options became few and far between in the wake of the pandemic, the U.S. saw an extreme drop in imports. In the middle of February, there was a nearly 13% decrease in clothing shipments, which is substantial considering that imports from China, Vietnam, and India represented about 53% of clothing consumption in the US in 2018. In early March, total container volume from China had declined by nearly 23% at the Port of Los Angeles.Covid-19 & Manufacturing

    While the United States is ranked third in the world for the quality of its manufacturing environment, it doesn’t have the manufacturing capacity of major outsourcing hubs like China. Many manufacturing jobs in the United States go unfilled because companies can’t find qualified talent.

    Still, the US is poised and ready to grow as the world moves beyond the pandemic. For the last few years, companies have started reshoring manufacturing, and U.S. manufacturing began to increase again in May as aerospace and automotive companies prepare for the coming months.

    At Hudson Technologies, we’re ready to help. As an essential business, we’ve been serving our customers through these challenging few months and are prepared to offer metal stamping services for a variety of U.S. manufacturing needs.

    Advantages of Using Domestic US-Based Manufacturers

    There are a variety of benefits provided by manufacturing in the United States:USA Manufacturing

    • Lower transportation costs. Reducing the cost of shipping of both raw materials and finished products reduces overall production costs.
    • Better for the environment. Lessening the traveling distance required for supplies and finished goods ultimately reduces carbon emissions.
    • Quicker lead times. By eliminating the need for overseas shipping, production runs ranging from prototypes or to large-volume runs may often be shorted by days or weeks.
    • Sense of community. The manufacturing facility ultimately becomes a part of the community, which helps an organization to build a positive brand. American companies also pay U.S. taxes that support their own communities.
    • Improved quality control. Manufacturing in the United States ensures that all production operations follow U.S. safety and quality standards.

    Working with Hudson Technologies

    As a leading U.S. manufacturer, Hudson Technologies is proud to represent domestic manufacturing. For 80 years, we’ve been offering high-quality metal stamping and custom tooling for customers in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, medical, and more. We’re committed to a safe work environment and stringent quality assurance practices, as demonstrated by our AS9100D certification.

    As you re-shore your own manufacturing needs, contact us for prototypes, high- or low-volume production, or any questions you have about metal stamping.

     

  9. History of Titanium and Its Applications

    Leave a Comment

    TitaniumThe history of titanium stretches way back to 1790s England, but it didn’t enter the manufacturing scene until the early 1900s. Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the earth’s crust, and it exists in sphene, rutile, and related minerals. As strong as steel but only about half as heavy, titanium alloys are used extensively in the aerospace and automotive industries, not only for their light weight and ultimate tensile strength, but also because titanium is durable and not susceptible to corrosion. Titanium resists chemical reactions with chloride solutions and many types of acids. This versatile metal is also used for bone setting, artificial hips, and other medical implants for the human body.

    History of Titanium

    Before it was called titanium, the metal was given the name gregorite after Reverend William Gregor, the pastor and amateur geologist who discovered it in Cornwall, England, in 1791. Gregor had been analyzing magnetic black sand in his free time when he became aware that he’d happened upon a new type of metal. Separately, a German chemist discovered the material a few years later. For its strength, he decided to call it titanium after the Titans of Greek mythology. It wasn’t until 1797 that the chemist realized his discovery was none other than Gregor’s gregorite.

    It was another century before titanium was successfully isolated and we began incorporating it into the variety of products you can find it in today. In 1910, Matthew A. Hunter, a U.S. metallurgist, started generating titanium domestically, and it became prominent on the manufacturing scene. The metal found its place in the periodic table as element 22, and it’s useful in a wide range of industries due to its high strength, resistance to rust and corrosion, and compatibility with medical applications for the human body.

    History of Titanium

    Titanium Applications

    Titanium is popular in any situation where it’s important to maintain a high ratio of tensile strength to density, such as in space- and aircraft, cars, motorcycles, and naval vessels. It’s also valuable in these uses because it improves fuel efficiency, durability, and overall product safety. You’ll find titanium across the aerospace, industrial, oil and natural gas, medical, and architectural industries as well as in a variety of consumer goods, like grills, golf clubs, shafts for lacrosse sticks, tennis rackets, and framing for bicycles. It’s used in surgical instruments, implants, medical components, wheelchairs, crutches, and more.

    Aluminum has a good strength-to-weight ratio, while stainless steel is heavier but stronger. When compared to stainless steel, titanium is equal in strength but lighter in weight. They’re both resistant to corrosion, with stainless steel having a chromium oxide layer and titanium a titanium nitride layer to safeguard against rust. When compared to aluminum, titanium weighs more but is two times as strong. Depending on the application, titanium is an ideal alternative for either metal.

    Commercial titanium in its pure form maintains its integrity in high-temperature environments as hot as 572° F, due in equal parts to its strength and its creep and thermal resistance capabilities. Titanium, unlike aluminum, has the potential to cause a build-up of heat as it possesses low electrical and thermal conductivity.

    Let’s look more closely at the uses for titanium in two major industries: aerospace and medical.

    Titanium in Aerospace and Medical

    In the aerospace industry, common uses for titanium include:

    • Rotors
    • Compression blades
    • Hydraulic system components
    • Armor plating
    • Naval ships
    • Spacecraft
    • Missiles
    • Structural parts
    • Landing gear
    • Helicopter exhaust ducts

    The Grade 5 Titanium alloy or 6AL 4V (6% aluminum, 4% vanadium) is used in nearly 50% of all aircraft applications, from engines to frames, valued for its corrosion resistance, heat resistance, maintainability, and lightweight strength.

    Titanium is biologically compatible with the human body, meaning that the body does not try to reject it. It also has the natural ability to integrate with the bones in the body to create a permanent structure. This makes it useful for a wide range of medical device components including medical and dental implants, medical instruments, and beauty supplies, such as:

    • Heart valves
    • Plates, pins, rods, and cages surgically implanted in the body
    • Hip and knee replacements
    • Needles, surgical tweezers, scissors, forceps, etc.
    • Tooth implants
    • Hearing aids
    • Spinal fusion cages

    Read more about the benefits of titanium in the medical space.

    Aerospace Industry

    Ask Hudson Technologies About Your Titanium Needs

    At Hudson Technologies, we work with titanium and other metals in a variety of manufacturing processes, serving the aerospace, defense, energy transition and storage, medical, semiconductor, and oil and gas industries. We offer customized solutions within our numerous capabilities:

    • Deep drawing
    • Shallow drawing
    • Stamping
    • Progressive die
    • Forming
    • CNC milling and lathes
    • Wire EDM
    • Wire, sinker, and hole punching
    • Spot welding
    • Spinning
    • Surface grinding

    Our experience with complex processes and green manufacturing gives you high-quality, cost-effective custom metal components in compliance with all international standards. We work with top-of-the-line tools and equipment and are committed to start-to-finish quality control and superior customer service. From prototypes to large production runs, our team will deliver what you need.

    Request a quote, and you’ll hear from us within two business days with more information and pricing. We look forward to working with you on all your titanium needs.

  10. Industries Driving Metal Stamping Growth

    Leave a Comment

    The metal stamping industry is driven by the combined market demands of several important industries. Aerospace and military-grade technologies, fueled by precision metal stamping, are continually advancing, and the transportation industry simply wouldn’t exist without metal stamping manufacturing for the automotive and oil and gas industries.

    Aerospace and Defense

    Metal-stamped parts are used widely in a range of equipment and munitions. For example, the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit for unguided bombs incorporates multiple metal stamped parts. The energy storage cases, tail fin guidance packages, and inertial guidance systems of these kits all rely on precision metal stamped parts.

    For numerous reasons, metal consumption rates in the aerospace industry are forecasted to keep rising, increasing demand in the metal stamping market. Aluminum metal stamping manufacturing, in particular, will increase, with Boeing reporting that over 42,000 new jets — valued at $6.3 trillion — are needed to meet high passenger demand and replace large numbers of retiring jets over the next two decades. Aircraft engineers also require high quantities of steel, due to its high durability, strength, and heat resistance, which further drives demand for precision-stamped steel in missile, rocket, rotorcraft, satellite, and telecommunications technologies.

    Due to aerospace and military demands, the metal stamping industry has already experienced growth over the last several years. Older aircraft are being steadily replaced with models featuring the latest fuel-saving, noise-reduction, and other new technologies. These trends drive increased worldwide demand for metal stamping components ranging from nuts and bolts to giant airframe parts.

    Because defense contractors depend on complex metal parts that meet tight tolerance windows and are free of defects, high-precision metal stamping is a crucial component of combat gear, helicopter gauges, and other military equipment. Military rocket launches require metal-stamped triggers, detonation clips, and safety springs, and GPS systems require specialty battery contacts. The sheer breadth of metal-stamped parts required by the aerospace and military sectors gives analysts every reason to expect continued growth in the metal stamping industry.

    Oil and Gas

    Another area trending positively for metal stamping is the oil and gas industry — one of the main drivers of the global economy. Sheet metal is used to stamp precise components for oil platforms and piping, including brackets, washers, handles, and critical sealing components — enabling them to withstand harsh conditions and deliver oil and related products to refineries or other destinations.
    The oil and gas industry requires highly custom, precision-engineered metal-stamped parts to maintain the production, safety, and efficiency of pipelines and drilling facilities. Metal stamping is unsurpassed in its ability to precisely punch or stamp sheet metal, and quickly meet the exact design needs for even custom applications.

    Given the ever-evolving landscape of technological advancements in the oil and gas industry, businesses can reap a multitude of benefits through the utilization of metal stamping as opposed to other conventional manufacturing processes. An experienced, highly responsive metal stamping manufacturer helps oil and gas companies:

    • Quickly react to fast-changing system designs
    • Reduce costs by repeatedly using the same custom dies
    • Secure high quantities of durable metal stamped parts
    • Maintain equipment with parts built to withstand the intense pressures, temperatures, and corrosive substances common to the petroleum industry
    • Ensure their stamped metal parts are free of subpar tooling marks, non-continuous edges, and other issues common to alternate tooling processes

    Automotive

    The recent low fuel costs and favorable interest rates for drivers, as well as the push to use non-ferrous metals for lighter-weight vehicles, have helped to drive growth in the automotive industry, including the use of metal stamping for auto components. The types of parts commonly produced for this industry include corrosion-resistant bolts, crane hooks, gears, connecting rods, turbine shafts, terminal wire forms for sensors, and fuel injection shields for engines.

    Metal stamping is a widely employed industrial technique for shaping flat metal sheets. The process entails cold forming using specialized stamping presses and dies to transform the metal sheets into a variety of shapes and configurations. These sheets are shaped by stamping presses and die into the intended design. Automobiles require metal stamping for the chassis, structural components, and transmission parts, which must be made to exacting specifications to meet and exceed safety standards and reduce costs.

    Other parts, like hubcaps and fenders, require metal stamping to provide exceptionally high and consistent output. Dies proven to meet the tight tolerance ranges required can be used repeatedly, simplifying what would otherwise be an extremely complex process of blanking, bending, punching, and piercing materials. Metal stamping manufacturers are able to simplify the process using a range of custom-die fabrication methods, which saves their partners (and end users) time and money.

    The metal stamping industry itself is rapidly improving with increasingly sophisticated technologies, such as hybrid electromagnetically assisted stamping machines, built to distribute strain more evenly than conventional machines. Increasing automation, such as with computer-controlled automated blanking machines, improves product quality and operational efficiency — allowing operators to make sound decisions at critical moments via self-adjusting data-management processes.

    Just as metal stamping manufacturers facilitate the growth of core global industries, those industries in turn drive the advancement of metal stamping manufacturing technologies.

    Innovative Metal Stamping Solutions From Hudson Technologies

    From telecommunications, aerospace, and defense technologies to the transportation and energy industries that keep us moving, we play a pivotal role in some of the most important modern industries. For questions about our innovations in the metal stamping industry, or to request a quote for Hudson Technologies’ standard and custom tooling services, contact us to inform us of your metal stamping needs.

Contact Us