Case Study 7

Part name: Stator contact

Material: 3003-H14 Aluminum

Thickness: .032

Challenge: To fabricate an extremely complicated stamping, involving several forming operations, including two 180 degree bends, one of which at a 45 degree dihedral angle, and the insertion of two threaded inserts, while maintaining close geometrical tolerances.

Solution: This part was produced in-the-flat using a progressive die that punched all seven holes. The material was fed into the die with a CNC servofeed to ensure a consistent feed rate.

The part then went through 8 different secondary operations involving 4 different pieces of tooling. To minimize stress on the material and reduce the likelihood of cracking, each 180 degree bend was performed in two 90 degree steps. The accuracy of each operation depended upon the accuracy of the previous operation, so in-process inspection was critical.