Tool Manufacturers of High-Precision Progressive Dies

ESI’s manufacturing processes begin by partnering your team with our design and engineering experts. Our innovative technology and trained expertise ensures specifications are met for even the most complex progressive dies.

Tolerances as Tight as .0002

Using wire EDM, 5-axis CNC and other high-precision equipment, ESI achieves tolerances as .0005″ (.01 mm) for parts and .0002″ (.005 mm) for dies.

High-Level Technology

Our machinists understand what tools they need, including CNC machines, blue prints and quality inspection devices.

High Volume Productions

To better serve a variety of applications, ESI utilizes both progressive stamping and fourslide stamping techniques to deliver high volume production stamping.

How We Work

Create 3D CAD designs.

CAD/CAM engineering capabilities allows ESI to design detailed components and product geometry. Our manufacturing and quality engineers also work together to reverse engineer parts and improve their design, tooling and fabrication.

Develop tool prints.

Once a product design is established, ESI gets to work on the tool and die design to manufacture it. Precision in the design is critical, as the punches and dies must maintain proper clearance to manufacture quality parts. It is also complex, as a single tool print can contain hundreds of parts.

Begin Production.

You can trust Engineering Specialties team to select the material, production processes and sequence of operations. Backed by over 25 years of experience, our experts offer optimizations that provide higher quality tools, faster lead times and less maintenance or cost. Our suite of metal stamping, CNC machining, and assembly processes help to maximize production speeds and help your bottom line.

Tool & Die Specifications

Capabilities

Multi-Out Progressive DiesSecondary ToolsMachine Automation
Short Run ToolsPrecision Gages and FixturesIntegrated Vision Systems

Tolerances

.0002″ (.005mm)

Precise tolerances from die sets to progressive dies

ESI tool and die makers bring decades of experience to every aspect of the job.

die-making

Using wire EDM, 5-axis CNC, and other high-precision equipment, they achieve tolerances as tight as .0005” (.01 mm) for parts and .0002” (.005 mm) for dies.

Producing one part can require a number of tools and a lot of skill. Our machinists understand what tools they need, including CNC machines, blueprints (from production engineers) and quality inspection devices. Their expertise is clear in the results. Watch their work in progress.

Our team provides full toolmaking service with highly refined skills for even the most complex progressive dies. We not only make tools and dies for our own processes; we make them for our clients. Look to ESI, especially when you’re up against technical challenges with short lead times.

Materials Used for Die Making

As stamping dies require a certain level of hardness, toughness, and durability their construction materials typically demonstrate exceptional longevity between sharpening as well as exhibit properties that facilitate the formation of complex designs. There are various materials whose properties fulfill these requirements and which are used in the production of ESI’s high-quality, dependable stamping dies, including:

  • – A2 Tool Steel: This air-hardened, cold-worked tool steel exhibits high material hardness (after heat treatment) and good dimensional stability.
  • – D2 Tool Steel: This high-carbon, high-chromium cold-worked tool steel demonstrates superior toughness and abrasion resistance.
  • – M2 Tool Steel: This molybdenum-based high-speed tool steel is hard, tough, and wear resistant.
  • – CPM® 3V Steel: This trademarked steel product is known for its toughness, dimensional stability, and wear resistance.
  • – CPM® 9V Steel: This trademarked steel product provides exceptional wear resistance and impact toughness.
  • – CPM® 15V Steel: This trademarked steel product offers the greatest wear resistance of all CPM cold-worked steels.
  • – CPM® M4 Tool Steel: This high-speed tool steel combines high wear resistance, impact toughness, and bend strength.
  • – S7 Tool Steel: This air-hardened or oil-hardened tool steel is characterized by excellent impact toughness.
  • – DC53 Tool Steel: This cold-worked tool steel offers strength and toughness approaching those of high-speed tool steels.
  • – Carbides (Wire EDM Grades): These steel alloys are strong, hard, and tough, making them suitable for machining harder materials.

 

Selecting the Right Stamping Press

Tool and die makers must also consider what type of stamping press the die will be used in, which are classified according to their properties and how they are used:

  • – Simple Dies: Perform a single operation in a single stroke.
  • – Compound Dies: Multiple cutting operations performed in a single stroke at a single stage.
  • – Progressive Dies: Multiple cutting operations performed in a single stroke at a number of different stages with blanking performed during the last stage.
  • – Transfer Dies: Similar to progressive dies, but with blanking as the first operation during the first stage.
  • – Combination Dies: Multiple cutting and forming operations are combined and performed in one stroke at each stage.
  • – Multiple Dies: Produces only one component per stroke but allows for the production of more than one component by providing one of the above dies in parallel.

Read Blog: Progressive Die vs. Transfer Die vs. Compound Die Stamping: What’s the Difference?

Manufacturing complex, precision stamped components in volume requires high-quality, durable stamping dies. Attaining tools with these characteristics, however, not only entails using materials with the necessary hardness and wear resistance but finding a manufacturer that provides cost-effective, high precision die formation as well.

Tool & Die Specifications

Capabilities
  • Multi-Out Progressive Dies
  • Short Run Tools
  • Secondary Tools
  • Precision Gages and Fixtures
  • Machine Automation
  • Integrated Vision Systems
Tolerances.0002"
(.005mm)

To view some of the tooling samples ESI has completed, visit our Sample Gallery.

View Our Sample Gallery