Progressive die stamping of beryllium copper C17200 contact springs, battery blades and EMI grounding fingers, with dies built in our own tool room, run on 21 presses from 25 to 110 tons at up to 300 SPM, held to ±0.005 mm on piloted features and age hardened after forming.
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PARTS WE STAMP
Beryllium copper is specified where a part must carry current and hold spring force at the same time. These are the four families that run here most often, each with its own temper call-out, age hardening route and inspection plan.
Spring-loaded battery blades, charging contacts and pogo-style pads from C17200 in the aged temper, mostly 0.1 to 0.8 mm. The forming happens in solution-annealed strip so the fingers can be drawn without cracking, then the part is aged to full spring, and the contact dome is nickel or gold plated only where it mates.
Grounding fingers, gaskets and shield contact tabs from C17510 where the drawing needs lower force and better conductivity, and C17200 where the finger has to survive repeated deflection. Fingers are formed as one piece with the can or carrier so there is no secondary riveting, and deflection at assembly is checked at first article.
Relay leaves, snap-action springs and switch blades where the spring force has to stay inside a band for the life of the unit. C17200 at 1,200 MPa typical aged strength keeps that force through reflow, and the die is compensated for the grain direction so bend height does not drift from coil to coil.
Socket terminals, micro-pins and test-probe barrels down to 0.05 mm strip, where the contact has to take thousands of insertions without losing normal force. Small features are pierced in one hit with in-die sensing on the station, and burr is kept off the mating face so probe resistance stays stable.
INSIDE THE PLANT
Real equipment and inspection floor from our Dongguan plant — 25–110T high-speed presses, in-house tool room, and a CMM lab running first-article inspection on every program.
WHERE BERYLLIUM COPPER GOES WRONG
Beryllium copper punishes a die built for phosphor bronze: it arrives soft, hardens only after aging, and moves dimension when it does. Add beryllium dust rules and a price that ends the argument early, and these are the four points we settle before tooling.
01
The Challenge
Order C17200 in the AT or TD temper and try to form a 0.2 mm finger and the outside fibre cracks. The alloy is meant to be formed in the solution-annealed state, where it is soft and ductile, and hardened afterwards. Dies cut for aged strip fail, and so do bend radii borrowed from phosphor bronze.
Our Solution
Strip is bought in the annealed condition and specified that way on the purchase order, so forming runs on ductile material. Springback is compensated for the soft state, not the final one, and the die is proved on production coil in that condition. Aged strip is only quoted when the part is a flat blank.
02
The Challenge
Age hardening at temperature is a heat treatment, not a bake: the part grows slightly, loses flatness if it is unsupported, and oxidizes on bare copper faces. Run the aging step loose in a basket and a 0.15 mm flat blade comes back bowed, with the critical formed height no longer inside the tolerance band.
Our Solution
Parts are aged on flat fixtures under controlled atmosphere at a qualified partner line, with the growth allowance built into the tool. Hardness is verified by lot, not by assumption, and the first article is measured after aging rather than before. Any dimension that moves in aging is flagged at DFM so the drawing carries the right number.
03
The Challenge
Solid beryllium copper strip is safe to handle, but grinding, sanding or dry machining it releases respirable beryllium particulate, and that is where the health risk sits. A shop that deburrs aged parts on a belt or touches up edges by hand creates the exposure, and the controls are not optional.
Our Solution
We buy strip in mill condition and keep beryllium copper off grinding and abrasive operations entirely; cutting, piercing and forming are wet-lubricated and contained. Dust collection and filtration are specified for the cells that run it, housekeeping and wipe-down are procedural, and we tell the customer openly which route the part takes.
04
The Challenge
C17200 at 1,200 MPa works the punch and die harder than brass or phosphor bronze, so clearance opens and edges round sooner than the toolroom expects. The measurement problem is worse: a worn punch shows up as burr on the contact face while the part still gauges inside ±0.005 mm.
Our Solution
Insert grade and coating are picked at die design for the higher strength, punches are changed on a counted-stroke schedule rather than on a reject, and stations are polished at each rebuild. Burr allowance and the burr-free face are set on the die layout and checked at first article on the optical system.
HOW WE STAMP IT
These are the values we quote and inspect on beryllium copper work, including the aging step that is not part of a phosphor bronze job.
| Specification Parameter | What We Hold | How It Is Controlled |
|---|---|---|
| Strip thickness | 0.05–3.0 mm | Coil certificate plus in-process thickness check |
| Positional tolerance | ±0.005 mm on piloted features | First-article CMM at 0.001 mm resolution |
| Stamping speed | up to 300 SPM | Press and feed matched to the part, not to the calendar |
| Press fleet | 21 presses, 25–110 tons | Thin contacts on high-speed frames, heavier strip on larger presses |
| Dies | 100% designed and built in-house | 30 machining machines behind the tool room |
| Quality system | IATF 16949:2016 · ISO 9001:2015 · ISO 14001:2015 | PPAP, mill certificates, lot traceability through aging and plating |
| Inspection | 20 inspection stations | CMM, optical and profile, in-line CCD; hardness tested on every aged lot |
| Age hardening | annealed strip formed, aged after stamping | Qualified heat treat partner, flat fixtures, hardness report per lot |
Progressive die design, machining and assembly under one roof, with bend compensation set for annealed strip and the aging growth allowance built into the tool.
Thin beryllium copper contacts on the high-speed frames at up to 300 SPM, heavier strip from 1.5 to 3.0 mm on the larger presses, all with in-die sensing.
Solution-annealed strip is formed here, then aged at a qualified partner line on flat fixtures, with hardness tested per lot and the report shipped with the parts.
First-article CMM at 0.001 mm, optical and profile on edges and radii, in-line CCD on the contact features, hardness testing after every aging cycle.
From Drawing to Production
Strip state, temper, grain direction against the bend line, bend radii, burr side, tolerance stack, aging allowance and plating sequence settled before a die is cut.
Progressive layout with piercing, forming and in-die sensing combined, machined and assembled in our tool room, compensated for annealed strip rather than aged strip.
Run on production coil in the forming temper, aged, then measured: CMM on the formed features, hardness on the aged lot, PPAP documentation raised.
Counted-stroke tool maintenance, in-line vision on contact features, SPC on the dimensions the drawing controls, hardness checked on each aging lot.
STRIP AND SUPPLY
We are a stamper, not a metal distributor. What we do is buy the right state of strip for the forming step and quote material plus conversion, aging included.
C17200 (1.9% Be) is the strength answer at 1,100 to 1,300 MPa aged; C17510 (0.4% Be) trades some of that for 45 to 60% IACS where the part also carries current; C17410 and C17460 are the lower-beryllium strip grades for volume contacts. Order in the annealed state.
Mill finish, nickel-pre-plated and selective-gold strip all run here, but the sequence matters: aging happens before plating, because the aging temperature oxidizes bare copper and can blister a pre-plate. A drawing that pre-plates and then demands a full-hard part gets a DFM question.
Either you supply coil to your own specification or we buy the grade, state, width and surface you name, with the mill certificate on file. Expect a real premium over phosphor bronze in both price and lead time, so we say so before tooling.
Grades we run
BEFORE YOU SEND THE DRAWING
Eight points worth settling on a beryllium copper drawing before tooling, starting with the one that decides the whole route: which state you form in.
INDUSTRY CASES
Oct 20 · 1 min read
A fixture maker for highway lighting was getting its spring contacts loose in bags. Bulks arrived mixed orientation, operators wasted time singling them out, and a…
Oct 20 · 1 min read
An automotive lighting assembly plant runs a kanban card system with its stamping suppliers: a card goes out, a reel comes back, no forecasts, no warehousing. When…
Oct 20 · 1 min read
A part for an automotive electrical assembly came in as a drawing with two solid pins to be bought separately and resistance-welded onto a stamped terminal base.…
ORDERING & FAQ
From drawing to delivered parts: a four-step path with engineering review at the front and 100% dimensional inspection at the back — then the questions buyers ask us most.
Step 1
Submit CAD & Specs
Send 2D/3D drawings (STEP, DWG, PDF) with quantity, material, and tolerance requirements.
Step 2
DFM Feedback & Quotation
Our engineering team conducts DFM analysis and follows up with a competitive quote after the review.
Step 3
Precision Manufacturing
High-speed progressive die stamping, secondary forming, finishing, and surface treatment per your specifications.
Step 4
100% QC & Express Shipping
100% dimensional inspection, anti-corrosion packaging, and global express delivery.
Either. We are a stamper, not a distributor, so we do not sell metal. You can supply coil to your own spec, or we buy the grade, state and width you name and quote material plus conversion.
C17200 is the one we see most, with C17510 for higher conductivity, C17300 where a machined feature is involved, and C17410 or C17460 where a lower-beryllium strip grade suits the volume. Send the spec and we confirm before quoting.
0.05 mm at the thin end, 3.0 mm at the heavy end. Thin fingers run on the high-speed presses and heavier strip moves to the larger frames, and thin parts need annealed stock plus tight burr control.
Sometimes, but the order matters. Aging runs before plating, because the aging temperature oxidizes bare copper and can blister a pre-plate. If the drawing pre-plates and also calls for full-hard properties, we raise it at DFM.
±0.005 mm on piloted positional features and ±0.01 mm on formed dimensions, verified on a CMM after aging rather than before. Aging moves the part, so critical formed dimensions are agreed at DFM and held with SPC.
Phosphor bronze covers most spring contacts at a fraction of the price and lead time. Specify beryllium copper when the part needs over 1,000 MPa, has to survive solder reflow without relaxing, or carries current and force at once.
Ready to Start Your Precision Stamping Program?
Send your drawing today — engineering runs a free DFM review and detailed pricing follows the review.
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