Stamping molding is the steel imprinting technique for stainless steel jewelry, achieving uniformity in quality and aesthetic appeal for every piece.
Amid the deafening roar of thousands of tons of pressure, a flat stainless steel sheet was instantly endowed with a three-dimensional life. This hard-core process of stamping and forming, which originated from large-scale industrial manufacturing, is now achieving astonishing efficiency and consistency, serving as the invisible backbone for the basic form manufacturing of stainless steel jewelry. It is not a synonym for rough mass production, but rather, with the assistance of precise molds and intelligent control, it perfectly integrates “rigidity” and “softness”, “force” and “shape”, laying the foundation for efficiency and quality in modern jewelry industry.
The essence of stamping is a manufacturing method that uses a rigid die under the powerful force of a press to cause plastic deformation or separation of metal sheets, thereby achieving the desired shape and size. The core steps include: blanking, punching, bending, drawing, and forming.
Stainless steel (especially 304/316L) has high yield strength and significant work hardening. Traditional stamping is prone to severe springback, resulting in dimensional deviations and shape distortion.
Precise mold compensation design (based on FEA simulation to predict the springback amount), multi-process progressive forming, over-bending technology, and high-tonnage presses ensure sufficient plastic deformation. （
The stamping process is prone to scratching the surface of the sheet material, which affects the subsequent polishing; the cutting edges are prone to generating burrs.
The mold is made of high-hardness mirror finish steel (such as Japan Daitong DC53, with hardness ranging from HRC 60 to 62), combined with precise grinding and polishing (Ra ≤ 0.1 μm); the stamping gap is optimized (usually 8-12% of the material thickness), and fine blanking or secondary trimming processes are adopted to obtain smooth edges without burrs.
The jewelry commonly uses 0.3-1.2mm ultra-thin stainless steel plates, which are prone to wrinkling (Wrinkling) or tearing (Tearing) during deep drawing/forming.
Precise control of blank holder force (BHF); optimize the radius of the mold corners (R corner ≥ 4 times the material thickness); use high-performance lubricants to reduce friction. (Case: Application of Swiss BRUDERER high-speed precision press in thin sheet processing)
Based on the disassembly process of 3D jewelry models, CAD (UG, CATIA) is used to design the upper and lower dies, the blanking plate, the ejector, etc. The key considerations are rebound compensation and material flow simulation.
The core working components use powder high-speed steel (such as ASP-30) or hard alloys, which undergo vacuum heat treatment (hardness HRC 62-65) and mirror electro-discharge machining (EDM), slow wire cutting (precision ± 0.003mm).
Five-axis precision milling + manual grinding ensure smooth surface transitions and uniform gaps. (Cost core: A set of complex jewelry molds can cost from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand yuan)
High speed (200 – 1000 times/minute), suitable for large-scale shallow deep drawing/cutting. Representative brands: Japan AIDA, Komatsu.
Programmable control of slider movement curve to achieve “flexible stamping”, perfectly adapting to the complex forming requirements of stainless steel, reducing cracking/creasing and improving yield rate.
Jewelry pieces usually use 25 – 200 ton press machines to ensure sufficient forming force.
Remove the blank sheet outside the jewelry outline for material preparation for the subsequent processes.
The flat blank material is drawn into the concave die under the action of the convex die, forming hollow three-dimensional parts (such as ring rings, bowl-shaped bodies of pendants). The blanking force and deep drawing ratio (≤ 2.0) must be strictly controlled.
Shape curved surfaces, protrusions, and relief textures (such as arc-shaped surfaces of bracelets, embossed brand LOGOs) through local deformation.
Process hollow patterns, connection holes, or remove excess waste edges.
Fine-tune and calibrate key dimensions and shapes to suppress the influence of rebound.
Multiple processes are integrated into a single mold. The material tape is automatically stepped forward for transmission. One stroke completes multiple operations, achieving efficient production where “the input is the rolled material and the output is the finished product”.
Seamless/open ring base blank, with high efficiency and consistency, providing a substrate for subsequent turning, polishing or inlaying.
Efficient production of standardized shapes such as arc-shaped surfaces and square tubular shapes.
Integrated cutting of complex contours and shallow relief, forming the base for inlaying.
Large-scale production support for standardized chain links such as O-shaped chains and oval-shaped chains.
The surface of the mold is engraved with patterns (such as wood grain, geometric grids, animal heads), and a three-dimensional texture is formed through a single press operation, eliminating the cost of manual engraving.
Precise edge folding: Creating sharp architectural edges or functional rolled edges (hiding welding points)
Precision stamping combined with micro riveting technology enables the creation of jewelry clasps without solder joints, achieving an integrated design.
Precisely pre-drilled magnet slots are embedded within the steel plate to simplify the assembly process.
Production Director of an International Jewelry Supply Chain Giant: When the demand for a basic clasp exceeds 100,000 pieces, stamping is the only economically viable solution. The cost advantage of continuous die production is unparalleled, and its consistency far exceeds casting and machining.
Precision stamping enables the perfect presentation of sharp corners, uniform grooves, and repetitive textures in stainless steel jewelry. It is the underlying language of industrial aesthetics, and even the simplest geometric shapes, the accuracy of the molds determines the sense of sophistication.
The material utilization rate of stamping (up to 70-85% after layout optimization) is significantly higher than that of cutting (typically 40-60%), and 100% of the waste can be recycled, which is in line with the circular economy.
Integrate micro sensors (pressure, temperature), conduct real-time monitoring of the stamping status, combine with AI to predict mold wear and maintenance points, and reduce downtime.
Realize the rapid replacement of mold components, adapt to the demand for small batches and multiple varieties, break through the traditional stamping “single product in large quantity” limitation.
Applied to more precise jewelry structural parts (such as micro clasps, ultra-thin linkages), the precision approaches ±0.01mm. （
The composite molding of stainless steel with other materials (such as titanium and copper) creates a unique dual-color effect and performance combination.
Pressing and forming, this hardcore art that masters stainless steel with a force of thousands of tons, engraves efficiency aesthetics into the metal’s DNA in an instant of sparks flying. It is not only the main production force on the assembly line, but also the silent pillar of the modern stainless steel jewelry industrial civilization – with precise molds as the pen and giant presses as the arms, in the rhythmic pounding of several times per second, the cold and hard steel plates are transformed into thousands of uniform and solid jewelry bases. From a smooth wedding band to a perfectly fitted chain, the pressing process, with its unparalleled scale efficiency and reliable consistency, silently supports the blooming of design creativity. It interprets the manufacturing philosophy of the industrial age: True power lies in transforming surging energy into precise expressions with millimeter accuracy. This is the mark of steel, and it is also the metal epic of the symphony of efficiency and quality.
