Case Study: Achieving Cosmetic Standards in a Stamping Press

Side Table

Customer

Major Appliance Manufacturer

Part

Side Tables

Manufacturing Issue

Utilizing their own stamping equipment and other resources to produce this part was not sustainable for the long-term.

Customer’s Goals

Select a tooling shop that could design and build a progressive stamping die of this size and complexity.

Select a metal stamping supplier with the capability and capacity to produce these larger-sized, highly cosmetic side tables.

Design and Manufacturing Process

Ultra designed and built a 144-inch progressive stamping die equipped with multiple stations and in-die sensors to produce the side table on our 800-ton press. The part’s stringent cosmetic requirements made manufacturability a significant challenge.

To remove sharp edges on the side table during metal stamping, Ultra utilized two methods; hemming and coining. Hemming works better on longer, straighter edges, so this method is primarily applied on the side edges of the tables. Hemming precisely wraps the sheet metal back around itself and forms a clean, radius edge. Coining operations are then used to remove the sharp edges on the remaining areas of the side table including interior locations; resulting in a stamped cut edge.

Another key component to maintaining the cosmetic standards was locating a steel supplier that could provide plastic coating on one-side of the sheet metal and within the specified material thickness.

To maintain clean cosmetic surfaces throughout stamping, two systems were implemented:

1. A permanent sprayer inside the progressive die to clear away plastic and metal shavings.

2. A vacuum‑like operation in the final die station to remove all remaining debris.

 

Customer Outcome

Side tables are delivered defect‑free, meeting the customer’s cosmetic and dimensional standards.

The customer benefits from significant time and cost savings by using Ultra as their all‑inclusive supplier for die design, tool building, metal stamping, packaging, and die maintenance.

Stainless steel side tables, passing final inspections after metal stamping, ready for packaging and delivery.