Design Guidelines
Stamped sheet metal parts can be complex, so to make it easier to incorporate them into your next project, here are some helpful manufacturability reminders to consider during the design process. These guidelines can help you manage project costs and achieve high part quality.
*Hole spacing should be 1.5 times the material thickness. Cluster tools create holes at a spacing of 1 times the material thickness, while single punch tools require additional material to maintain the same hole quality.
*Design the smallest hole to be 1.2 times the material thickness.
*Minimize the number of unique stamped formed feature sizes/shapes throughout the design. Using features of the same size saves machine setup time (and possible tooling costs).
*Specify typical punch feature tolerances within +/-.005 inches (+/- 0.127 mm). It is important to remember that tolerances in the flat state are different than tolerances in the formed state.
*Consider the length of the dimensions of any progressive stamped features (e.g., ribs, louvers, cluster patterns). Excessively long features can cause quality issues such as warpage.
*Ensure all formed features face the same direction. Designs that contain both formed and form-down features are at risk for quality issues.
The following additional stamping design guidelines are a useful resource for achieving dimensionally accurate and high-quality stamped parts.
*Maximum formed feature height: 4x material thickness.
*The tool station diameter is directly related to the recommended spacing between stamped formed features. For feature spacing, we recommend using 50% of the tool station diameter:
