Design is one of the trickiest aspects when it comes to any manufacturing process. Knowing the limitations of your material, the chosen manufacturing services, the machines used in manufacturing, and a company’s limitations all play a role in creating a design that’s going to work.
When looking at brass, there are specifics that must be addressed to get the best possible results. Winco Stamping’s guide on design best practices for metal stamped brass parts incorporates our nearly 80-year history of working with this material.
Knowledge of Brass Material Grade and Part Thickness
There are multiple variations of brass, but the most common one and the one Winco works with on a daily basis is C26000 brass. This material contains corrosion-resistant properties that ensure the metal won’t rust. Other key benefits of this material grade that can be incorporated into your design include: varying conductivity levels, solderability, hardness, malleability, ductility, acoustic quality, and antimicrobial resistance.
Material thickness should be consistent throughout the design. Thickness inconsistencies can lead to defects during manufacturing, which can quickly become costly reworks.
Stamped Brass Parts: Bends and Radii Considerations
When accounting for the bends and radii in your metal stamped brass parts, factor these points into the design.
- Inside bend radii up to one-half times the material thickness. A minimum bend radius of 0.15” is usually suitable, depending upon material thickness. Winco’s engineering team can work with you to craft the ideal bend radii.
- Additionally, when working on the bend line to the edge of the holes on the sheet, allow for one-and-a-half times the material thickness.
Holes, Slots, and Spacing
These design tips should be considered when working with brass.
- Hole diameters should follow a +/- 0.003” tolerance.
- Hole diameters should be one-and-a-half times your brass’s thickness, at a minimum. Smaller holes could require extra machining.
- Keep holes away from bend points; if they are too close, the bends will distort, which can be a costly error.
- The web between holes should follow the rules for hole thickness at one-and-a-half times your material thickness.
Considerations for Tolerances
Tolerance is one of the most important aspects in the design of any stamped part. The tighter a design is, the more tooling costs a customer will face. But when designed properly, those costs can be held in check.
Contact Winco Stamping for Your Metal Stamped Brass Parts
Since 1948, Winco Stamping has been at the forefront of all metal stamping services, including brass. When you need high-quality brass stampings, trust the experienced team at Winco Stamping to provide top-notch parts on time and on budget. We produce custom short-run and medium-run stamped parts with our in-house tooling process.
Brass is a beautiful, tarnish-resistant zinc and copper alloy. This material is ideal for parts where aesthetics are an important aspect of the decision-making process. If you’re considering metal stamped brass parts, contact the Winco team today, where we won’t just focus on creating your parts, but we’ll focus on creating a relationship with you.
