Forming Equipment

Kick Presses

Fotofab most often uses kick presses for forming. They are quick to set up and ideal for low-cost tooling. Even when built quickly, our results are precise and repeatable. Unlike other methods used by many prototype shops, our approach does not rely on the manual work of operators, but rather, robust tooling. This ensures the same result every time and is ideal for rapid prototype parts.

Hydraulic Presses

Hydraulic presses are ideal for thicker metals or parts requiring additional force for bending, drawing, or coining. These presses can be used for what Fotofab calls a one-shot tool. Unlike stage tooling, which requires a separate operation for each bend, a one-shot tool performs all operations in a single strike. These tools cost more than stage tooling but can pay for themselves at a lower part cost with adequate volume. The break-even quantity will vary based on the geometry of the part.

Drawing Cans

Fotofab produces drawn cans in rapid prototype and production quantities. A drawn can is a seamless, 5-sided box with rounded corners, made by stretching or “drawing” the middle of a rectangular blank. They can be made from material 0.010″ to 0.040” thick with a draw radius of 2.5x thickness and finished with or without a lip along the bottom. They can be very inexpensive and are also ideal for hermetic applications.

4-Slide Machines

4-Slide Stamping is suitable for smaller parts (0.002-0.32″ thickness, and typically narrower than 2″) with a less complex feature geometry. The machine is a horizontal press with 4 moving tools that strike the metal part from different directions. By working on 4 axes it is able to be very versatile and usually less expensive to tool than a progressive die.

This is most commonly used for contacts, springs, and small connectors made in a wide variety of metals. Our high-quality standards and craftsmanship remain the same whether the job is a short-run prototype or transitioned to a mass production run.

Hand Forming

For the quickest and least expensive option, Fotofab recommends hand forming. Hand forming is ideal for parts at least 0.008” thick (0.2 mm) with 90° bends and does not require tooling. To facilitate this, we half-etch a channel into the blank which serves as the inside of the bend and ensures an easy and accurate bend.


Contact Our Precision Etching Experts Today

Fotofab is ISO & AS9100D Certified, ITAR Registered, and RoHS compliant.
Get in touch if you have questions or are ready to start your custom project.

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