Focus processes: fine blanking and thinning deep drawing
Fine blanking vs laser cutting vs machining for a flat functional part?
Answer
Thickness runs from 0.05 mm to 3 mm. Below roughly 0.20 mm the material is hard to handle and hard to keep flat, which is why thin adjustment shims are normally supplied as laminated sets. Above about 3 mm the part stops behaving like a shim and is usually better specified as a machined spacer. Balford runs presses from 25 t to 350 t and deep draws to a maximum diameter of 250 mm, so shim profiles are well inside the tooling envelope.
Sources
- Custom Metal Shims & Shim Washers Made to Drawing | BalfordThickness runs from 0.05 mm to 3 mm. Below roughly 0.20 mm the material is hard to handle and hard to keep flat, which is why thin adjustment shims are normally supplied as laminated sets. Above about 3 mm the part stops behaving like a shim and is usually better specified as a machined spacer. Balf...
- Custom Metal Shims & Shim Washers Made to Drawing | BalfordShort answer: A shim should be fine blanked when the cut edge is functional rather than cosmetic: it carries load, sets a preload or has to hold a stack height, and a torn blanking edge would change the assembly. Fine blanking supports the material through the cut, so a suitable part gets a high pro...
- Laser Cutting Services China | Tube & Sheet PartsWhich cutting process does your part need? Method Best for Tooling What it gives you Laser cutting Complex contours, protos and one-off parts, tube and sheet None Clean edges without a die; parts nest to save material Shearing Straight cuts and rectangular blanks None Fastest and cheapest route when...
- Sheet Metal Cutting Services China | Blanks & ProfilesPrecision stamping feed Coil and blank preparation for progressive and precision stamping lines. Related Case Studies Projects where blanking and cutting were the first step of the route. 65Mn Spring Steel Shim Blanking Material: 65Mn spring steel Process: Blanking + heat treatment + plating Key req...
- Fine Blanking Operations in Precision Stamping | BalfordFine Blanking Operations in Precision Stamping Published: September 18, 2024 Fine blanking is a core process for producing metal components used across automotive, medical, electronics, industrial, and furniture sectors. This advanced metal forming method has changed how we approach high-precision m...
- Laser Cutting Services China | Tube & Sheet PartsDo you offer laser cutting as part of tube assemblies? Yes. Laser-cut tube can feed bending, end forming, welding and assembly at Balford, so the finished tubular part arrives documented from one supplier. How is laser cutting priced? Price follows material, wall thickness, cut length, feature compl...
What an engineer still needs from you
- material and material condition (grade, temper)
- material thickness, plus the key diameter, height and wall thickness
- tolerances, burr direction and the visual acceptance standard
- annual volume - it decides whether tooling is single-hit, progressive or transfer
- surface finish, and any secondary machining, annealing or plating
Need a DFM feasibility assessment for your project?
Send the engineering drawing (STEP or PDF) with the material grade, thickness and annual volume. Balford engineers then check it against the process window - draw ratio, wall thickness, tolerances, blank and tooling route - and come back with what is feasible and what is not. An answer on this page cannot replace that review.
Upload a drawing for DFM reviewHow the DFM review worksRelated questions
This page is an engineering answer, not a quotation and not a dimensional acceptance. It is generated from Balford's published material and held to the verified company fact sheet.