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Small-Run Stamping Batches
A small-run stamping batch is any press campaign that is too short to justify a long minimum but long enough to deserve a properly set die. We quote the setup and the run as separate lines, so you can see what the tooling time costs and what the strokes cost. Batches usually sit between a few hundred and a few thousand pieces, and the die remains with us on the numbered rack so a second run in six or twelve months does not start from nothing.
Every batch is released in counted lots. The first article is struck and measured before the run proceeds, and interval checks follow at fixed counts rather than only at the end. If a dimension drifts, the correction is made on the same die during the same window. Parts are then bulk packed to your count, and the setup record is filed with the die for the next time the job appears.
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Bracket and Clip Fabrication
Brackets, clips, card guides, retaining tabs and small formed housings are the core of what an integrated system needs from a stamping floor. We form these parts in one setup where the geometry allows, which keeps the bend sequence consistent and reduces the handling that can introduce small errors. Hole patterns are matched to the hardware you already specify, so a bracket arrives ready to mount rather than needing a re-drill on the bench.
Where a bracket carries several bends, the sequence is written onto the job card and checked against the first article. Clip geometry gets particular attention because a clip that is a fraction too wide will not hold, and one that is a fraction too narrow will crack in service. We test the spring action on the first piece and note the result so a repeat order can be compared against it.
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Jig Setup Days
A jig setup day is a dedicated block of floor time for mounting, shimming and proving a die before a production window opens. The die is seated square, the ram height and feed line are set, and a first article is struck and measured. The readings are recorded on a setup sheet that stays with the die. That sheet is the reason a repeat run can begin cold without the guesswork that usually surrounds a second order.
Setup days matter most for parts with tight hole positions, multiple bends or a finish that depends on a clean edge. If your mechanical team is still revising a drawing, a setup day can be used to strike a trial geometry before the design is frozen. The output is not just a mounted die but a written record of how the die was mounted and what the first article measured.
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Deburr and Finish Passes
Stamped parts leave sharp edges unless someone removes them. Deburr and finish passes cover edge break, tumble, brush and the coating or plating routine that your application requires. We schedule these passes into the same window as the strikes rather than sending parts out and hoping a second supplier keeps to the date. The finish note is written on the job card, so the second order receives the same treatment as the first.
For parts that will be handled on an assembly bench, edge break is a safety matter as much as a cosmetic one. For parts that sit inside a cabinet, the finish is mostly about corrosion and appearance. We ask which one matters more before the pass is chosen, because the two priorities can lead to different routines and different costs.
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Sample Strike Runs
A sample strike run is a small number of pieces struck from a first-off die so your team can hold the part before committing to production. It is the step that turns a drawing into something a mechanical engineer can test in a real assembly. Samples ship with the strike record, the material certificate and a plain note on which dimensions remain open or provisional.
We recommend a sample strike whenever a bracket interacts with hardware from another supplier, whenever a clip has to hold a specific cable bundle, or whenever the drawing has changed recently. The cost of a few sample pieces is small compared with a full batch that fits badly, and the evidence from a sample run often shortens the review cycle on your side as well as ours.
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Hardware Kitting Packs
Hardware kitting packs group the parts for one installation step into a single labelled bag: the bracket, the clip, the fasteners, the shims and any small hardware the step requires. Kitting is done on the same floor as the strikes and the finish passes, which removes the handover where counts usually drift. Each bag is counted and marked, and each carton carries a pack sheet listing what it contains.
Kitting is most valuable on projects with many installation steps across several locations. One bag per step is easier to store, easier to audit and far easier for an installer to follow than a loose parts bin. When a customer asks for a revision to a kit, the change is recorded against the die and the pack sheet together, so the parts and the paperwork stay in step.