CEP Technologies Corporation is a third-generation, family owned progressive metal stamping company specializing in miniature to small stampings. We work with OEMs and aftermarket suppliers in the automotive, medical, electrical, lighting, power protection, EMI/RFI shielding and telecommunications, and other industries. This metal stamping guide gives a detailed overview of our services and capabilities.
Our core capabilities lie in expert progressive stamping with in-house tool and die building and lifetime maintenance (you may also choose to transfer existing tooling). We support customers with projects in medium to high annual volumes from 25,000 to 1,000,000 parts. Sample kits of our custom stampings may be ordered here.
We specialize in progressive stamping of miniature to small parts from metal coil between 0.002 in. and 0.080 in. thick. We also stamp blanks up to 6×6 in. square. We use high speed presses manufactured by Bruderer, Minster, Raster, V&O and Perkins, ranging from 15 to 60 tons. Tooling and dies are custom-built and maintained to hold tight tolerances and exceptional degrees of precision throughout production.
CEP manufactures custom metal EMI/RFI shields for controlling electromagnetic and radio frequency interference in electronic and cellular devices. PCB-mounted shields create a physical barrier between a circuit and its neighbors, reducing the performance and safety risks associated with interference and data transmission. Metal shields are commonly made of copper, brass, nickel, silver, steel, or tin.
We also offer a complete line of standard progressive die stamped spark plug and distributor terminals for automotive OEM and aftermarket manufacturers. Material options include zinc-plated cold rolled steel, 430 stainless steel, CDA 260, and alloy 510 phosphor bronze. Terminals are available in a variety of configurations including:
Using the correct raw material for an application is critical to manufacturability, performance, and safety. Production costs and lead time can also be affected, especially if high-performance or high-cost materials are used when they are not strictly necessary. Our stamping experts can assist you with evaluating material options to meet project and budget needs. Rapid prototyping services are also available. Material options include, but are not limited to:
Packaging is critical to maintaining parts in assembly-ready condition, even after transportation and storage. CEP provides tape and reel encapsulation as well as custom packaging solutions for the components we stamp.
Custom packaging, such as divided trays and custom cartons, help keep delicate parts separate if they are prone to nesting or becoming entangled. It is also an excellent way to organize parts for efficient use at the point of assembly or other use.
Customers have many choices for progressive stamping. CEP stands out for several reasons:
We want to make it as easy as possible for customers to obtain high-quality, custom stampings that are cost-effective. All of our services and capabilities are offered with this goal in mind. CEP operates three manufacturing facilities, located in New York, Texas, and China, which allows us to serve customers around the world.
In addition to progressive stamping with in-house manufacturing and maintenance of all tooling, we offer these value-added services for a complete solution:
Most stampings involve cleaning and other finishing processes prior to use, but PCB components like EMI/RFI shields as well as electronic and automotive stampings often require a higher degree of care: technical cleanliness. CEP uses a number of specialized cleaning techniques including forced air, ultrasonic, submersion, rinsing, and bubbling in a variety of solutions at different frequencies to remove tiny particles. With these methods we can hold particle sizes to less than 200µm for parts that have pre-plated raw material, and even smaller particle sizes depending on customer specifications. Learn more about technical cleanliness here.
Precision stamped components need to be in an assembly-ready condition when they leave the stamper’s facility, and they must stay in that condition during transportation and storage and until the point of use. CEP uses tape and reel encapsulation to individually seal stamped parts in an embossed carrier strip. Prior to sealing each part is verified and inspected to ensure correct placement, orientation, and identification markings.
Our decades of experience working with different metals gives us insight into factors that matter in progressive stamping and material selection, such as:
We regularly work with stainless steel, aluminum, high- and low-carbon cold rolled steel, pre-galvanized steel, nickel-plated steel, precious metals, brass, bronze and copper. Pre-plated materials are also available for some applications, along with finishing options like electroplating and selective plating, heat treating, etching, and deburring.
The properties of each metal and how it “behaves” when stamped determine how suitable it is for a specific application. The number and type of metal stamping techniques performed on the material (e.g., bending, coining, shearing) also add complexity to the manufacturing process and can even make some part features challenging to form within tight tolerances. Balancing material properties with production costs is another aspect of every project. CEP can help at each step along the way.
Metal prices vary considerably based on material composition, form, relative rarity, high-performance qualities, and corrosion resistance. Factors like tariffs, global shipping challenges, mill availability, and other unexpected incidents can impact lead time.
While there may be one or two typical or usual materials associated with a part, there are often highly suitable alternatives. We can suggest material options that improve manufacturability, are more readily available, or simply help lower production costs, as explained here.
A successful production run starts with assessing the part’s design intent and understanding how materials and stamping operations enable, or impede, the ability to achieve a functional finished part. Working from the part print, our team uses prototyping and virtual modeling to optimize manufacturability. Sometimes adjustments to the design or the progressive stamping process makes a significant difference in meeting tolerances, dimensions, and quality goals.
Inspection, verification, and testing are also critical to part performance individually and as part of a larger assembly or finished product. CEP uses both manual and computer-aided inspection methods to ensure parts meet customer requirements and comply with regulations or other guidelines. We are also IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 14001:2015 certified with TUV Rheinland of North America.
From simple to complex, CEP has been successful with a wide variety of challenging designs for customers in different industries. Read a few examples of how we use progressive stamping design guidelines to improve part manufacturability, efficiency, and production costs in the case studies below:
Learn how we designed a custom manufacturing process for a uniquely-shaped disc component in a medical flow-through valve. The part included tolerances for thickness and flatness, and specified tin electroplating. Read more here.
Through prototyping and testing, CEP was able to reduce production costs for an automotive component originally consisting of two pins welded to a base terminal. The redesigned component was made from a single piece of metal with no welding required. Read more here.
See how we developed custom packaging trays that organize completed parts while preventing them from becoming tangled. This solution keeps the assembly process moving smoothly without the need to stop and separate parts. Read more here.
At CEP we bring decades of progressive stamping and engineering experience to customers around the world. From the earliest stages of part design, through prototyping and production, to finishing and packaging, our team is here to meet your requirements for quality and part performance.
Please contact us if you have questions about any of the topics in this metal stamping guide or are ready to request a quote.