/ask/Every question below is a canonical page: one question, one answer, sourced. The status column is the honest state of the evidence today, not a marketing claim.
| Canonical questions mapped | 96 |
| Strong published evidence | 91 |
| Needs engineer input or an original photo / measurement | 5 |
| No evidence yet - routed to a drawing review instead of a guess | 0 |
| Deliberately out of scope (Balford does not perform this) | 0 |
Balford has two focus processes. Fine blanking (jingchong) produces a high proportion of smooth sheared edge for function-critical flat parts, and thinning / ironing deep drawing (bianbao lashen) forces material to a controlled wall in multi-stage draws. Everything below is core capability, not an adjacent service.
| Question | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| focus processWhat is fine blanking? | covered | 6 |
| focus processFine blanking vs conventional blanking: which should I specify? | covered | 6 |
| focus processWhat edge quality does fine blanking achieve? | covered | 6 |
| focus processWhich materials and thicknesses suit fine blanking? | covered | 6 |
| focus processWhat tooling does fine blanking need and what drives its cost? | covered | 6 |
| focus processFine blanking vs laser cutting vs machining for a flat functional part? | covered | 6 |
| focus processWhat parts are typically fine blanked? | covered | 6 |
| focus processWhat is thinning deep drawing (ironing)? | covered | 6 |
| focus processWhen is forced thinning needed instead of a conventional draw? | covered | 6 |
| focus processHow thin a wall can deep drawing achieve? | covered | 6 |
| focus processIroning vs redrawing: what is the difference? | covered | 6 |
| focus processWhat defects occur in thinning deep drawing? | covered | 6 |
| focus processHow are multi-stage thinning draws and annealing sequenced? | needs engineer input | 6 |
The cold-forming family: what each process is, what geometry it suits, and where the boundary between them sits.
| Question | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| What is metal stamping? | needs engineer input | 6 |
| Metal stamping vs casting vs machining: which process should I choose? | covered | 6 |
| What is the difference between blanking and piercing? | covered | 6 |
| What is bending and forming in sheet metal? | covered | 6 |
| What is coining and embossing in stamping? | covered | 6 |
| What is ironing in deep drawing and when is it used? | covered | 6 |
| What tolerances can metal stamping achieve? | covered | 6 |
The process Balford is built around: draw ratios, stage counts, blank sizing, failure modes and the envelope the presses actually allow.
Progressive, compound, transfer and single-hit tooling — how the tool is chosen, how it is built, and what drives its life.
Cutting, bending and joining sheet: laser, punching, press brake, tube, welding and brazing.
What happens after forming: turning, milling, drilling, grinding, wire EDM and the pre-form question.
Alloy selection for cold forming: what machines well, what draws well, and where the traps are.
Annealing and magnetic annealing, then the finishing routes — including the ones that are outsourced and must be declared as such.
The component families Balford actually builds, and the engineering requirements each one carries.
Design for manufacturing, tolerance practice, inspection and the documentation package a programme needs.
The commercial side a buyer actually asks: volumes, tooling cost, lead time, MOQ and how to run a supplier evaluation.