UK Metal Pressing Services for Sheet Metal & Component Manufacturing
Metal Stamping
Deep Drawing
Progress Pressing
Metal Blanking
Fly Pressing
Product Assembly
OTHER SERVICES
Decades of Metal Pressing Expertise
Winward Engineering is an established and trusted partner in metal pressing, proudly serving industries such automotive, architecture and general engineering since 1946. Through continual investment in our services, we house mechanical and hydraulic presses ranging from 50-200 tons, with a pressing bed of up to 1.2m², making us fully equipped for a wide range of pressed components. We proudly manufacture our own tooling, combining efficient CNC machines, precision lathes and experienced toolmakers to make our press tooling accurate and competitive with minimal lead times.
Whether you're looking for batch runs, continuous production schedules or mass production, we are dedicated on providing a reliable, cost-effective metal pressing service tailored to your specific needs.
Expert Metal Pressing in Aldridge, Walsall
Our factory is located at the heart of the UK in Aldridge, Walsall. We are just 10 minutes away from the M6 and 30 minutes away from Birmingham, giving us an ideal location to serve both UK and international customers.
Metals we work with
Explore the wide range of metals that we press to meet your unique manufacturing needs:
Steel
Stainless Steel
Aluminium
Brass
Copper
Nickel Alloys
Inconel
Monel
Platinum
Tantalum
Titanium
Zirconium
Beryllium
Molybdenum
Corten
Hastalloy
Zinc
Silver
Bronze
Kovar
Zintec
Galvanised
Carbon Steel
Haynes
Pewter
Tin
Deep Drawing
Deep drawing is a metal forming process used to create seamless, three dimensional parts with a depth greater than the diameter. During this process, the sheet metal is placed onto a die where a punch draws the metal into a cavity, controlling the rate of deformation with an opposing die cushion. Deep drawing is commonly used to manufacture products such as cans, containers, component housing, dished ends, hemispheres and many more standard or custom products.
This process works exceptionally well with ductile metals such as aluminium, low-carbon steel and soft copper, but can also be applied to more demanding materials like stainless steel, Inconel and titanium.
We frequently convert parts produced with metal spinning to deep drawing for our customers. Although upfront tooling costs are higher than metal spinning, the cycle times are much quicker meaning unit costs are lower and lead times are shorter. Compared to metal spinning, deep drawing offers better consistency, lead times and unit costs, perfect for high-volume production and continuous production schedules.
Metal Stamping
Metal stamping is a metal forming process used to create precise shapes and components from sheet blanks, strips or coils. Downward pressure is applied onto custom tooling, capable of performing a wide range of operations such as cutting, bending, drawing, coining, embossing, flanging, blanking, piercing, reducing/necking, ironing, stretching and hemming. Multiple operations can be performed through progressive stamping, often built into the tooling and fed with strip or coiled sheet metal, driving down the cost and lead time for complex stamped components. Multiple stamped parts can be welded or mechanically assembled to create sub-assemblies.
Progressive Stamping
Progressive stamping is used to produce complex stamped parts in high volumes. It involves a series of die stations, each performing a specific operation on the sheet metal as it moves through the tool.
While the upfront tooling investment is higher than alternative methods, this continuous process allows for the production of complex stamped components without the need of separate tools or additional handling, meaning less labour and lower unit costs. These lower unit costs offsets the initial investment many times over for high volume components.
Metal Blanking
Metal blanking is a process used to cut flat shapes from a coil or sheet of metal. A punch and die work together to shear the metal into a predetermined shape. These blanks are then used as the foundation for our other manufacturing processes such as Metal Spinning, Deep Drawing, Stamping and Fabrication. Metal blanking is highly versatile, as it can be applied to a wide range of metals. It can also be utilised for high-volume production of uniform parts such as washers, discs, dog tags and other simple flat shapes.
We maintain an extensive range of circular blanking tools specifically designed for use in high-volume Metal Spinning, Deep Drawing, Stamping or Fabrication.
Fly Press
A fly press is a manual press that uses a flywheel to generate the necessary force for tasks such as plunging, punching, forming, planishing, and riveting. Fly presses are commonly used for small batch production and are crucial for industries that rely on flexible batch sizes.
Assemblies
We have extensive experience in designing and manufacturing components that are assembled mechanically or through welding to create complex sub-assemblies. We work with a wide range of industries, including automotive, agriculture and HVAC, each utilizing our broad production capabilities to streamline several parts and processes under one roof.
Our welders are ISO 9606-1 certified, ensuring every seam is reliable and integral when it matters most. We also offer MIG welding, TIG welding, spot welding, brazing and soldering to meet our customers' required specifications.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Metal Pressing?
Metal pressing is a blanket term for the process of working flat sheet metal using a manual, mechanical, servo or hydraulic press equipped with a punch and die. The press applies downward force to perform a wide range of operations on the metal such as cutting, bending, drawing, deep drawing, coining, embossing, flanging, blanking, piercing, reducing/necking, ironing, stretching and hemming.
Metal pressing can be done in a single or multi-stage operation. Where multiple progressive tools each perform a specific operation, often needed for complex stamped parts or certain deep drawings.
What are your Metal Pressing capabilities?
Our metal pressing capabilities include:
1 x 1.2m² Pressing Bed for larger components or tooling
2 x Roll Feeds to accommodate various widths for large production runs
What materials can you use for Metal Pressing?
Metal pressing is most effective with ductile metals such as aluminium, low-carbon steel and soft copper, but can also be applied to more demanding metals including stainless steel, Inconel and titanium.
Why should I pick Metal Pressing over Metal Spinning?
Although upfront tooling costs are higher than metal spinning, the cycle times are much quicker meaning unit costs are lower and lead times are shorter. Compared to metal spinning, deep drawing offers better consistency, lead times and unit costs, offsetting the cost of the upfront tooling investment. Perfect for medium-to-high volume production and continuous production schedules.
However, for certain shapes, prototypes and smaller batch runs, metal spinning will be more suitable. The right choice depends on your specific production needs. Contact our sales team to learn which process best suits your needs.
Can you convert my Metal Spinning tooling for Metal Pressing?
Yes, in certain cases we can convert metal spinning tooling for metal pressing. Metal pressing requires a punch and die setup, meaning a custom die would need to be manufactured to work with the existing tooling. This conversion can be a cost-effective option for increasing production volumes, as metal pressing offers better unit costs and lead times compared to metal spinning. Being able to offer both processes allows us to accommodate limitless growth for our customers, often handling the job from the prototype stage, all the way to mass production.
The feasibility of this conversion depends on many factors such as the part design, material, thickness of the part and current spinning tooling. If you are thinking of converting your metal spinning tooling for metal pressing, contact our expert team today to discuss feasibility.