Steel Rule Dies Process

Steel Rule Die - not just another cookie cutter process
The Steel Rule Die, commonly referred to as a "Cookie Cutter" or "Clicker" die, have long played an important role in adding value to sheet metal. A process that's been around for many years, the Steel Rule Die provides high quality, flat blanks, at a very competitive per blank cost. Quality and Delivery do not have to be sacrificed, to achieve substantial cost savings.

Any manufacturer that is concerned about quality and cost should consider the Steel Rule Die. They are used for prototype, new part development, and production. A typical low volume production job of 2000 pieces, including tooling, can be completed in just 3 days. When you compare that to "hard" tooling, the savings in time and cost are enormous.

The capabilities of a Steel Rule Die are worth noting. They can cut a variety of materials including Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Plastic,Rubber, Mild Steel, and High Strength Low Alloy Steel; thickness up to .375" (10mm) in Mild Steel and Aluminum. The Steel Rule die life is typically guaranteed up to 100,000 blanks.

The unique design of a Steel Rule die means that the total tool costs are just a fraction of "conventional hard tooling." Also, tooling lead times are reduced considerably. An average Steel Rule die can be completed in 48 hours and can be made from a template or math data.

The Steel Rule Die also allows greater manufacturing flexibility. Like the original construction, changes to Rule Dies are also less expensive and can be done in a short period of time,usually in a day or so. Press time that used to be dedicated to blanking can now be used for other stamping operations. Maintenance time for blanking dies can now be applied to other tooling or equipment. Typically, Steel Rule dies are serviced and maintained by the Steel Rule Die Company that builds and runs the die.

In short, the Steel Rule Die is a low cost, high quality method to produce Sheet Metal blanks. Additionally, the short lead-time and part reliability, make it a natural choice for the Stamping plant, Tooling Manufacturers, Automotive Companies or anyone that processes flat blanks as part of their process.