STÜKEN MEANS MORE
With our precision parts, we implement solutions that even experts would not have considered feasible. We combine complex technologies, finishing processes and services and achieve results that add value for our customers.
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STÜKEN MEANS MORE
With our precision parts, we implement solutions that even experts would not have considered feasible. We combine complex technologies, finishing processes and services and achieve results that add value for our customers.
Contact
Hubert Stüken GmbH & Co. KG
Alte Todenmanner Str. 42
31737 Rinteln
Germany
Phone +49 5751 702 0
info@stueken.de
Further Contacts
Here you will find our international production and sales locations.
We embody deep-drawing technology creating demanding geometries, high degrees of forming and customer-oriented solutions.
Deep drawing is our company's original core area of expertise. We have decades of experience in this field, and are continuously striving to develop innovative concepts and deep-drawn parts with the highest precision, giving our customers the kind of solutions that only industry leaders can provide. Research and development are just as essential for establishing new products as is consistent investments in presses and machines. At STÜKEN, we make all types of deep-drawn parts, from those with a high degree of forming and unusual contours, extremely small dimensions and very demanding geometry, including those made from materials that are very difficult to form.
Deep drawing is one of the most important forming processes in modern manufacturing technology. The DIN 8584 standard describes deep drawing as the forming of a sheet metal blank into a hollow body that is open on one side or the forming of a hollow body into a hollow body with a smaller circumference, without intentionally modifying its wall thickness.
Since deformation takes place between room temperature and a maximum of 250°C, the initially soft material undergoes work hardening. As a result, these components are known for their high strength. This means that the thickness of their walls can be reduced compared to machined components, resulting in a lower component weight.
This makes deep drawing an excellent process for the mass production of thin-walled components where exact dimensional accuracy, high strength and minimal waste are important. Our deep-drawn parts can also be heat-treated, coated or refined in other ways to meet the needs of the relevant application.
How does deep drawing at STÜKEN work?
The material is brought into its desired shape over a number of different forming stages, performed with tools developed specifically for the purpose. In this case, the word “tool” refers to all the stations involved and their respective punches and dies.
In deep drawing, the starting material is a metal strip which is wound up in the form of a coil. The metal strip is unwound from the coil and fed into the deep drawing press. There are different forming stations arranged one after another in the press.
Each press station consists of two main components for each product: the die (or the tool that forms the negative shape of the component) and the punch (which presses the material into the die).
Deep drawing is an extremely efficient, fast and resource-saving process for mass production. In up to 30 forming stations per tool, STÜKEN can efficiently produce the deep-drawn part with side or bottom holes, threads and many other complex geometric properties. Production on multiple lines is also often possible. The higher the quantity, the greater the potential cost savings.
At STÜKEN, we produce deep-drawn parts on more than 400 presses with up to 30 tool stations – and we can expand our range of machinery with additional systems precisely tailored to your needs, based on the project requirements.
We work with three basic types of presses at STÜKEN:
Thanks to our versatile presses and machines, we can offer you a wide range of options in the production of deep-drawn parts. For instance, we can produce components with the following dimensions and material thicknesses:
To allow the formation of a hollow body from a flat blank, the material used must be formable; that is, it must have a certain degree of ductility. One characteristic value for this is the “elongation at break”, which is determined by carrying out tensile testing in accordance with DIN EN ISO 6892-1. Simply put, the greater a material’s elongation at break, the longer and more complex the deep-drawn parts that can be produced from it. As a rule, the strip materials are processed in a soft-annealed state, since this provides the highest elongation at break values, and thus the greatest forming capacities. STÜKEN processes a wide variety of materials. The materials we use most frequently are steels and stainless steels.
Official descriptions for pure aluminum and aluminum alloys are described in documents such as the DIN EN 485-2 standard. A distinction is made between the different alloy groups based on the main alloy element.
Aluminum or aluminum alloys are particularly well-suited to applications in which weight savings, good electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, sufficient corrosion resistance and magnetic properties are important. This is typically the case in fields of application such as the automotive industry, electronics or aeronautical engineering (e.g. in cooling plates or heat sinks). Aluminum is relatively low-strength compared to steel, which can lead to restrictions on highly stressed components.
Unalloyed steels are iron-carbon alloys with a carbon content ranging from 0.05 to 2.0%. In addition to iron, they contain only natural accompaniments to it, such as sulfur, manganese and phosphorus. Low-alloy steels contain up to 5% alloying elements that improve their properties, such as chromium, silicon, nickel, etc. Components made from these steel grades are used in a wide range of industrial and consumer goods applications. Steel is unique in that one can vary its properties to a great extent by subjecting it to a range of downstream processes such as heat treatment, electroplating and other coating techniques. Alloy steels with a higher strength are used for demanding applications, but they have an increased risk of springback and developing cracks during forming. STÜKEN has innovative in-house solutions to these issues thanks to our state-of-the-art production technology and comprehensive finishing processes.
Even micro-alloyed and multiphase (duplex) steels with a higher rate of work hardening can be deep-drawn. STÜKEN also offers solutions for hydrogen-resistant stainless steels.
Stainless steel, or steel that is resistant to rust, acid and heat, is corrosion-resistant in a normal atmosphere if it contains at least 12% chromium. Types of stainless steel include ferritic, austenitic, martensitic and ferritic-austenitic (duplex). Its excellent corrosion resistance and strength mean it is used in many different applications. Stainless steel parts are hugely important in the automotive, medical and food industry. Higher forming forces are required to deep draw stainless steel, as this material class has a higher strength than unalloyed steel, making the deep drawing process more complex. Martensitic stainless steel, such as X15Cr13, can be hardened by means of subsequent heat treatment. Austenitic steel, such as X5CrNi 18-10 (1.4301; “V2A”), usually only increase in strength if subjected to work hardening during forming. However, further surface hardening is possible in the form of treatment with STÜKEN’s patented process for surface layer hardening, SWEP15®, which typically achieves hardness values of about 1300 HV 0.1.
In addition to various forms of pure copper, brass (CuZn), bronze (CuSn) and nickel silver (CuNiZn) are also some of the copper alloys formed at STÜKEN.
Brass and copper are widely used in electrical engineering, electromobility and sanitary engineering. These metals are relatively easy to process and primarily offer good to very good electrical and thermal conductivity. These parts are often electroplated for greater corrosion resistance.
Titanium is a light metal with a density of about 4.5 g/cm³. It combines this relatively low density with high strength and toughness. Furthermore, it is highly resistant to corrosion, non-magnetic and biocompatible. However, it is also more difficult material to process, as doing so subjects the tools to extreme stress. Titanium is widely used in the aerospace industry, where its low weight and high temperature resistance provide significant advantages. Its strength and corrosion resistance make it suitable for components that must withstand extreme conditions. Titanium is highly bio-compatible, which is why it is particularly common in medical devices. STÜKEN has developed a technology that enables reliable processing of grade 1 titanium (Ti Grade 1).
Nickel and nickel alloys (e.g. Alloy 600) are frequently used for their resistance to corrosion and high temperatures. They are ideal for deep-drawn parts in electrical engineering as well as for battery sleeves and chemical processing plants. However, nickel alloys are harder than many other metals, and specially adapted tools are required to prevent cracking during deep drawing.
Here is a summary of the key benefits:
With more than 400 presses and the capacity to process a multitude of different materials ranging from steel to special alloys, STÜKEN is able to offer solutions for a whole range of industries.
Deep-drawn parts play a crucial role in the mobility industry, where they are used in a variety of safety-related and high-performance components.
For instance, in the automobile industry, this includes:
Other applications include construction machinery, agricultural vehicles, emergency generators and drones. Our deep-drawn parts are also used in bicycles and e-bikes.
Deep drawing produces many metal components that are used in electrical equipment and systems.
At STÜKEN we manufacture the following components:
Deep-drawn parts are used in a wide range of applications in heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology. They play a central role in a variety of components and ensure that modern systems function reliably and safely.
Examples of deep-drawn parts in this area include:
STÜKEN is certified according to ISO 13485 and ensures that our deep-drawn parts meet the high standards of the medical industry through validated cleaning processes and cleanrooms classified as ISO 14644 Class 7 and GMP Class C.
STÜKEN products are used in many areas of application, including:
Reliable, durable and functional components are crucial to industrial production. Deep-drawn parts play a valuable role in numerous applications including:
Like any industrial manufacturing process, deep drawing also comes with certain challenges that need to be taken into consideration in order to achieve the desired quality results. The most common difficulties in the deep drawing process are:
At STÜKEN, we prevent these defects by paying attention to precise tool design and precisely controlling the relevant forming parameters. Thanks to our reliable process control, well-trained specialists, cutting-edge automation and bespoke test technology, STÜKEN is able to guarantee outstanding quality.
The most relevant processes related to deep drawing include:
Deep drawing stamping is a variant of deep drawing. It is characterized by the additional step of stamping, where a shape or texture is applied to the part. Deep drawing stamping is often used to integrate functional or aesthetic surface textures into the deep-drawn parts (e.g. in the production of automotive components, decorative parts or medical devices).
The ironing process is used to deliberately reduce the wall thickness of the component (by definition, wall thickness does not change during the deep drawing process). Ironing produces a very smooth surface and a higher degree of work hardening in the component. For example, this process is used for components that subsequently undergo flanging during assembly.
Cold extrusion is a massive forming process that primarily involves applying compressive stress to the material in the form of a compact slug. Like deep drawing, this process can be used to produce hollow bodies. In cold extrusion, the material is generally pressed into a mold at room temperature and flows into the desired molds in a similar way to deep drawing. Extrusion is typically suitable for rotating parts where the material is pressed into a cylindrical shape. The materials used for extrusion must be very soft and ductile, which is why aluminum, copper and unalloyed steels are the most common choices. The process subjects tooling to more stress than deep drawing.
In contrast, deep drawing, which is a tensile compression forming process, is mainly used for the production of hollow bodies or housings with an opening on one side.
We tackle every challenge with technical expertise and a passion for precise solutions. Our driven and dependable employees commit themselves to achieving the best results for your project. Trust, dedication and an innovative way of thinking are deeply rooted in our corporate culture, and our passion helps us ensure the successful implementation of your project. Contact us today – and let’s realize your goals together!
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Do you have questions about the possibilities of deep drawing? We support you because STÜKEN MEANS MORE partnership: info@stueken.com