The challenge was immense. Unlike standard stamping, which cuts and forms shallow shapes, deep drawing forces a flat sheet of metal (a blank) into a die cavity using a punch. The metal flows like a slow-motion waterfall, stretching without tearing. For the battery housing, they needed to draw a 3mm-thick sheet of aerospace-grade aluminium 6061 into a 300mm deep box with radiused corners.
Deep drawn stamping is a cornerstone of precision engineering in the UK, providing high-volume, seamless metal components for sectors ranging from automotive to medical. This specialized process transforms flat metal sheets into complex, three-dimensional shapes where the depth of the part exceeds its diameter. deep drawn stamping uk
They rebuilt the process from scratch. They introduced a multi-stage drawing cycle: first a shallow pre-draw, then an intermediate redraw, then a final ironing stage to thin and smooth the walls. They replaced standard mineral oil with a high-viscosity chlorinated extreme-pressure lubricant. They even adjusted the blank holder force dynamically using sensors—too little, and the metal wrinkled; too much, and it ruptured. The challenge was immense
A part is technically considered "deep drawn" when its depth exceeds its radius or width. Deep Drawn Pressing UK | Added Value Presswork & Stamping For the battery housing, they needed to draw
The UK manufacturing sector is heavily aligned with ISO 9001 and industry-specific standards such as IATF 16949 (Automotive) and ISO 13485 (Medical). A UK supplier provides the traceability and compliance documentation required for safety-critical components.