A rolled tube manufactured with a progressive die replaces traditional drawn tubing and eliminates secondary operations in a proprietary process which targets parts in high-production applications not requiring a high-pressure, airtight seam. “We got the idea for the process when a medical-device manufacturer asked us to help develop a cost-effective, disposable cauterizing device for use in minimally invasive surgeries,“ says Frank Jankoski, director of technical services, Micro Medical Technologies, Somerset, N.J., (micromedicaltech.com).

Jankoski says a standard manufacturing process would involve purchasing pieces of drawn metal tubing at a cost of about $1.50 each, and performing several secondary operations for features such as slots or bends. However, every time the operator handles a part, it adds about $0.30 to the part costs.

In contrast, Micro Medicals' process feeds a coil of flat, stainless steel stock 17-in. wide and 0.022-in. thick into a progressive die on a conventional stamping press. Four stations in the die then “roll“ the 0.2-in. diameter tube. Different quadrants of the diameter are formed at each station.

“Additional features cost no extra just by the nature of the process,“ says Jankoski. “For example, its' the same price to stamp one or ten holes in a part. So the device manufacturer changed its part design and replaced a 90° flange, a secondary operation that would have been exceedingly difficult to stamp, with holes that get pierced as the material moves through the stations. Our process let us take what was a $5.00 part and make it for $1.00.“