It’s no secret that Dayton Rogers is the grandfather of metal stamping. Although metal stamping is our process of choice as it is an incredibly versatile metal forming method, there is no one single process that can truly do it all. Dayton Rogers is dedicated to serving as your one stop shop for all things metal forming: that is exactly why we have broadened our services to include a multitude of metal fabrication methods beyond just metal stamping.
We’ve already discussed a small selection of our custom fabrication services in a previous article, but Dayton Rogers offers a whole suite of metal fabrication options that are performed at one of our 4 US manufacturing facilities. What we haven’t discussed at length yet is when or why one of our customers might want to choose custom metal fabrication above metal stamping.
As much as we adore metal stamping here at Dayton Rogers, we can admit that there is a time and place for different types of metal forming processes. Metal stamping is best suited to high-quantity orders of finished pieces where speed and precision are key.
For products that are early in the development stage, other fabrication methods can result in significant cost savings when compared to custom metal stamping.
Metal stamping sometimes requires the development of custom tools and dies, a process which can take time. Custom tooling also comes with its own set of costs in the form of design and machining. The up-front investment of time and funds can make custom metal stamping a less-than-ideal choice for low volume productions or prototype runs.
Metal fabrication, on the other hand, offers much more room for cost savings and design flexibility. This makes it an excellent choice for items that are early in development, including prototype and beta designs. Metal fabrication is also a good option for low volume orders.
Fabrication methods are often much simpler to get started when compared to metal stampings, which allows us to vastly reduce initial lead times. This is especially helpful when trying to expedite the development of your product from an early prototype to a finalized design. Fabrication is generally less expensive than metal stamping for small production volumes as well; although with a higher rate of labor per part, this comes with the tradeoff of increased labor costs overall as order quantity increases.
With all of this in mind, let’s move on to cover our selection of fabrication offerings here at Dayton Rogers!
We are proud to offer custom metal fabrication & manufacturing at Dayton Rogers to suit a wide scope of production needs. Instead of outsourcing all of your metal forming operations to different manufacturers, you can enjoy massive benefits when you choose Dayton Rogers to do it all for you under one roof.
Below we’ve listed out all of our in-house metal fabrication options to accommodate your manufacturing needs.
Laser cutting is a service which utilizes a highly focused beam of super-hot light to cut through metal sheets. This method offers incredible precision and finished edge quality, which makes it an excellent choice for cutting high precision features into metal blanks. Laser cutting is also known for its high level of repeatability which facilitates guaranteed part reproduction. Since the laser itself is computerized, the laser cutting process can be fully automated for lights-out production- which can mean bigger cost savings for our customers.
A turret punch works similarly to a metal stamping press, but it nearly eliminates the need for tooling setup. A turret press can hold multiple tools at a time and switch quickly between them, which makes it the fastest fabrication method that we offer in terms of lead time. The tools that can be used in a turret press range from cutting tools, bending tools, flanging tools, and more. The turret press is incredibly flexible and offers the high precision that you would expect from Dayton Rogers. Like our laser cutting machine, our turret press can also be automated for lights-out production to maximize cost savings. Consider our turret press fabrication if you’re looking to add value to your next project fast.
A press brake is essentially a type of hydraulic press which is specialized for precision metal forming- or metal bending, to be more specific. A press brake can create bends in a metal sheet or blank with an unmatched level of precision, even when compared to metal stamping. Although this process is quite labor intensive, setup is relatively quick so it can still be a great choice for low quantity orders that demand a precise bend angle or bend radius.
As we’ve discussed in a previous article, welding is the most versatile metal fabrication method that Dayton Rogers offers beyond metal stamping by far. Our welding processes include the following:
· Robotic Welding
· Arc Welding
· MIG Welding
· TIG Welding
· CD Welding
· Spot Welding
Each process that we offer has its own unique advantages and constraints, so we make welding recommendations on a case-by-case basis. Whichever method best suits your project, you can rest assured that the skilled welding technicians at Dayton Rogers will get the job done right to exceed your expectations.
From metal stamping to fabrication to our fabulous customer service, Dayton Rogers is happy to offer the best service in the business under one roof for your convenience. We remain committed to creating solutions that are integral to your success, and for nearly a century we have demonstrated that commitment with our comprehensive metal forming techniques. That’s the Dayton Rogers difference.
Dayton Rogers has led the metalforming industry for more than 90 years, using stamping and fabrication expertise to create a wide array of parts for multiple applications. Our metal stamping and metal fabrication services create unique solutions that are integral to your project’s success. If you’re ready to discuss our available metalforming methods in a free consultation, don’t wait. Call today to speak to one of our metalforming experts about your project or schedule an in-person meeting.
Want to learn more about metal stamping and fabrication? Get your FREE copy of the Design Principles Black Book. This Design Principles booklet describes the various common conditions that occur in the fabrication of parts.
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