Case Study: Metal Stamping Revolutionizes Manufacturing Process

Talan Products Inc., a high-growth contract manufacturer specializing in metal stamping, recently showcased its expertise in progressive die metal stamping by transforming a traditionally machined aluminum extrusion part into a more efficiently produced component. This case study demonstrates how Talan’s innovative approach significantly reduced manufacturing time and costs while maintaining high-quality standards.

The Challenge

A customer approached Talan Products with a request to shorten their supply chain by manufacturing a part in North America that was previously produced overseas. The part in question was an aluminum extrusion with specific requirements:

• Cut to length
• Oblong hole on one plane
• Round threaded hole on another plane

Traditionally, this manufacturing process involved multiple time-consuming steps:

• Saw cutting the extrusion
• Loading parts into a CNC machining center
• Milling the oblong hole
• Drilling the round hole
• Tapping the hole
• Unloading from the CNC

These steps collectively added up to nearly a minute of factory time per part, making it challenging to compete with overseas manufacturing costs.

The Talan Solution

Talan Products’ cross-functional Design for Manufacturability team tackled the challenge head-on, developing an innovative solution that leveraged their progressive die metal stamping expertise. Their approach aimed to eliminate most of the time-consuming steps in the traditional process.Key innovations included:

• Eliminating the sawing process for cutting parts off the lineal extrusion
• Punching the long slot instead of machining it
• Punching the round hole and tapping it within the tool
• Incorporating in-die tapping technology

The Results

By implementing these innovative techniques, Talan Products achieved remarkable results:

• Reduced total processing time from nearly one minute to approximately 2 seconds per part
• Eliminated secondary manufacturing operations through in-die tapping and cam piercing
• Significantly lowered production costs, making the part less expensive to manufacture in North America
• Maintained high-quality standards while drastically improving efficiency

Conclusion

This case study exemplifies Talan Products’ commitment to innovative metal stamping solutions. By thinking outside the box and leveraging their progressive die experience, Talan not only leveled the playing field but exceeded expectations. The result was a win-win situation: a more cost-effective part for the customer and a showcase of Talan’s manufacturing prowess.

Talan Products continues to demonstrate why they are a leader in high-growth contract manufacturing, producing hundreds of millions of component parts for industry every year from their facility in Cleveland’s inner city.

Posted in: Case Studies