Tool and Die Design

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Our in-house, quality tool and die design team has decades of experience with die and tool service for precision metal stamping. Simply put, we build dependable tools for efficient metal stamping production. If needed, we can build and design your tool in-house. Or, we can maintain your legacy tooling so you can keep your production pipeline full. We provide a standard Class A progressive tooling and maintenance plan that ensures quality for the lifetime of the part. First, we start with the right design. Secondly, we build our tools with tight tolerances, proper clearances, adjustable forms (when required), proper heat-treated alloys, precision wire cut EDM geometry, and precise assembly, fitting, and testing.

In House Tool Design

Our experienced tool designers apply best methods in tool and die design. This produces repeatable, close tolerance, quality tools. In-Die Sensors are designed into the tool from the beginning. Prototyping, or testing tool design concepts in the tool design phase, is done on site when required. This provides our designers real-time feedback and promotes innovation in the overall design. Our customer partnership model often integrates your engineering team into the tool design phase. In this manner, quality tool and die design can be acheieved and include the part characteristics you require.

In House Tool Build

Our commercial tool and die shop follows precise procedures and produces quality tooling that can last for years. And, having die and tool service in house is the catalyst for our proven quality and delivery track record. The importance of onsite tool and die design, quality tool build and proper maintenance cannot be overstated.

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You may also send files to: requests@mforms.com

In Die Sensors

Sensors are a key component to our quality and delivery success.

Utilizing In-Die Sensors enhance and promote quality parts by monitoring tool performance in real time. In Die Sensors also increase efficiencies and tool life by shutting the machine down during misfeeds, slug pulls, pilot misalignment, broken punches, and other “tool killing” issues. Keeping the tool safe, effective, and productive contributes greatly to our exemplary On-Time Delivery & Quality records.

Implementing Your Legacy Tooling

We care for your property! Our Tool & Die personnel will evaluate your tooling and give expert feedback on the condition and possible modifications required to implement production at Micro Forms, Inc. Most often we can implement a legacy tool with very little effort and have your parts up and running in short order. Once we take on your tool it is included in our maintenance program. If you can provide the tool design information with the tool we can evaluate and negotiate covering your tooling under our Routine Maintenance Plan.

Tool Maintenance

Proper maintenance is key to the life of the tool and the quality of the parts produced. Repairs, sharpening, or replacement parts are applied by experience tool makers to high standards. Our tools include tool history documentation and traceability of all work performed on the tool.

Tool Maintenance Plan

Routine maintenance of all Micro Forms, Inc. designed, and built tooling is undertaken by Micro Forms including repairs, sharpening, or replacement parts. There is no charge made to the customer for this routine maintenance for the life of the product as long as the tooling does not leave our plant.

What is the difference in Hard Tooling and Soft Tooling?

HARD TOOLING refers to specialized tool and die that (most often) only produces a single part number or part number family. An example of a Hard Tool is; Progressive Tooling, typically housed in a die shoe with multiple stations, as the material is fed thru the die it progresses an equal amount with each stroke of the press, thru each station in a line until at the exit end of the tool a completed part is produced.

SOFT TOOLING refers typically to tooling that can be used for a variety of part numbers, part families, materials, and sizes. A good example of soft tooling is a turret press combined with a brake press. In this manufacturing method a flat blank of material is loaded onto the turret press which is controlled by a program that utilizes multiple stations in the turret to punch holes, slots, louvers, notches, and edges. Once the flat blank is punched it would be carried to a brake press to bend the flanges.

Hard Tooling has a higher up-front cost for the Hard Tool with less cost in the part due to the efficiency of completing the part with one operation. Soft Tooling has relatively low up-front cost being only the programing and set up of the equipment with a higher individual part cost.

While size and complexity of the parts may dictate that a stamping is not an option, if the part is conducive to either, the decision of which type of tooling to utilize will rest with the volume of parts, (for example) when will Hard Tooling have an ROI vs the Soft Tooling part cost.

Micro Forms, Inc. understands both types of manufacturing, we can help you decide the benefits and the challenges of each.