The Precision Touch in Custom Metal Stamping

Plating
Plating is used for a variety of reasons including corrosion resistance, solderability and wearability. The most common plating materials are gold, palladium, nickel, and tin. Strips of metal can be preplated to avoid a secondary process. Gold and other precious metals can be selectively plated onto a strip and reels of finished parts can be control-depth dipped to substantially reduce the plating costs. Strips of gold and other precious metals can be bonded onto a strip as an inlay or cladding.

Each application requires a unique set of properties and best choice of plating is most dependant upon a cost vs. performance analysis. Engineers at Meier Tool & Engineering can assist in the selection of a plating material and process that best matches each application.

Cleaning
A variety of cleaning options exist for preparing parts for heat treat, plating or assembly. Individual parts and reels of parts are cleaned to remove metal stamping oils and films. We even offer cleaning processes to produce parts that meet standard clean room requirements.

Heat Treat
A heat treat process is used on products that require additional strength after metal stamping. This process is used only when the formability of the final product does not allow it to be formed or coined without cracking. Therefore, the part is stamped in the soft state and then hardened.

Although the heat treat process may be required to achieve critical performance properties, it is avoided whenever possible. Not only does it add additional cost and lead-time to products, it induces additional variation into the final part. A feature formed in the soft state will relax during heat treat. The amount of relaxation varies from part-to-part and from material lot-to-material lot, resulting in increased part variability. Meier Tool & Engineering utilizes a very accurate oven to test the relaxation of features and to determine how the tool must be compensated to account for this relaxation.

Deburring
Although we can meet most minimal burr requirements directly out of the metal stamping die, deburring is available for parts that must be free of sharp corners. Abrasive and chemical deburring options exist for all types of products.