Assembly Line

Stamping and pressing

A die closes on a blank and cuts or bends it in a fraction of a second. High-volume lines can do this hundreds of times a minute.

67 lines that use it

AA battery 8 stations · 22 raw sources Air conditioner 6 stations · 23 raw sources Aluminum can 6 stations · 17 raw sources Aluminum ladder 7 stations · 10 raw sources American football 7 stations · 18 raw sources Asthma inhaler 6 stations · 16 raw sources Ball bearing 9 stations · 13 raw sources Baseball bat 5 stations · 9 raw sources Basketball 8 stations · 20 raw sources Board game 6 stations · 18 raw sources Brake pad 7 stations · 23 raw sources Button 8 stations · 8 raw sources Car 8 stations · 31 raw sources Cardboard box 5 stations · 17 raw sources Ceiling fan 8 stations · 28 raw sources Clothespin 7 stations · 12 raw sources Coin 6 stations · 9 raw sources Crackers 7 stations · 15 raw sources Credit card 7 stations · 23 raw sources Dishwasher 11 stations · 27 raw sources Door hinge 7 stations · 18 raw sources Electric car 8 stations · 34 raw sources Electric kettle 10 stations · 27 raw sources Electric motor 6 stations · 15 raw sources Envelope 6 stations · 18 raw sources Fire extinguisher 8 stations · 27 raw sources Flip-flops 6 stations · 15 raw sources Fountain pen 6 stations · 20 raw sources Gas cylinder 10 stations · 25 raw sources Gold bar 6 stations · 7 raw sources Harmonica 8 stations · 19 raw sources Jigsaw puzzle 7 stations · 18 raw sources Key 6 stations · 13 raw sources Kitchen knife 6 stations · 16 raw sources Leather belt 10 stations · 28 raw sources Leather gloves 7 stations · 16 raw sources Light switch 8 stations · 26 raw sources Loudspeaker 10 stations · 19 raw sources Mattress 6 stations · 16 raw sources Microwave oven 10 stations · 27 raw sources Nonstick pan 7 stations · 10 raw sources Olympic-style medal 8 stations · 12 raw sources Padlock 7 stations · 25 raw sources Paper cup 7 stations · 18 raw sources Paperclip 5 stations · 20 raw sources Pizza box 5 stations · 18 raw sources Power outlet 6 stations · 18 raw sources Pressure cooker 8 stations · 18 raw sources Razor blade 6 stations · 16 raw sources Safety pin 9 stations · 21 raw sources Saxophone 9 stations · 25 raw sources Sewing needle 8 stations · 16 raw sources Shipping container 8 stations · 23 raw sources Shovel 7 stations · 13 raw sources Slinky 5 stations · 12 raw sources Smoke detector 8 stations · 25 raw sources Soap 8 stations · 19 raw sources Stainless steel fork 8 stations · 15 raw sources Staple 6 stations · 14 raw sources Toaster 6 stations · 17 raw sources Toothpick 6 stations · 1 raw source Trumpet 7 stations · 18 raw sources USB cable 9 stations · 22 raw sources Washing machine 12 stations · 31 raw sources Wheelbarrow 9 stations · 23 raw sources Wine cork 8 stations · 11 raw sources Wrench 9 stations · 20 raw sources

What it looks like on the line

  • MattressCoil the wire. Machines bend steel wire into hourglass-shaped coils. Thicker wire makes a firmer spring, and 14-gauge wire at 1.63 mm is typical of higher-quality coils. The oldest and most common type is the Bonnell coil, a knotted, round-top coil.
  • BasketballPress the pebble texture. Heated plates emboss a fine bumpy surface on the cover panels, giving the ball its grip.
  • HarmonicaStamp the cover plates. Covers are stamped from metal to shield the reeds and direct the sound. Some covers are open, and some are enclosed.
  • SlinkyCrimp both ends. A band is crimped around each end of the coil so the sharp wire end cannot jab a child. This step began in 1973.
  • Olympic-style medalPrepare the blanks. Blanks are cut from the rolled metal to precise width and thickness. At the Austrian Mint they are also rimmed, annealed to relax the hardened grain, and then ball polished, washed or brushed.
  • DishwasherStamp doors and cabinets. Prefinished coils of steel are cut and stamped into tubs, doors and, for stand-alone models, wrap-around cabinets.
  • Asthma inhalerDraw the canister. The canister is produced in aluminum or stainless steel by deep drawing, in which a flat blank is pressed into a cup shape without a weld.
  • CarPress the body panels. Giant presses close on flat sheet and bend it into doors, hoods, roofs and fenders in a single stroke. Many carmakers use steel for most panels and aluminum for a few lighter ones.
  • Stainless steel forkBlank the outline. A die cuts a rough fork-shaped piece from a strip of stainless steel. It is still thick and has no shape to speak of.
  • Aluminum canCup the disc. The first draw turns the flat blank into a shallow cup about three inches across.
  • Flip-flopsPunch the strap holes. A punch cuts three holes in the sole, one between the toes and one on each side of the foot. The thong and the arms of the strap anchor here.
  • PaperclipBend the loops. Rams push the wire around segmented rings on three turning annular dies, or around spindles in older machines. Each station adds a bend until the flat double loop is complete. Several clips form per cycle in the newer design, where earlier machines made one at a time.