Metal Pressing & Stamping Perth
Pressed, stamped and deep-drawn components on a 630-tonne hydraulic press, with the tooling designed and built in the same Bassendean workshop.
Pressing is where Pressform started and what the name means. We form steel, stainless and aluminium into brackets, clips, clamps, housings, cups and deep-drawn shapes, from a first-off prototype to standing production orders. Because we build and maintain our own press tools, a new part goes from drawing to production without waiting on an outside toolmaker.
Metal pressing in Perth for production components
Pressing forms a flat blank into a shape in one or more strokes of a press, using a tool made for that part. It is the process behind most of the metal components you buy without thinking about, such as clips, brackets, washers, cups, housings and clamps, because once the tool exists, each part is fast, repeatable and cheap.
That "once the tool exists" is the catch, and the reason most Perth fabricators do not offer pressing. Pressform does, because we have the press, the tool room and almost 50 years of pressings behind us. (If you are looking for die casting or forging, those are different processes. We do not cast or forge, but we can often press a part that was going to be cast, at lower tooling cost.)
Typical pressed work: brackets and mounting plates, clips and spring clips, clamps and pipe supports, washers and spacers, cups and deep-drawn housings, embossed and formed panels, refractory anchor components, automotive and machinery parts, and blanks for further welding or machining.
Part of our complete metal fabrication capability →
Pressing capability
Press tooling designed and built in-house
A pressed part is only as good as its tool. Pressform's tool room designs, machines and proves press tools on site, which changes three things for you:
Lead time
No waiting on an external toolmaker, no freight, no back-and-forth over drawings. The engineer who quotes the part designs the tool.
Cost
Tooling is quoted once and owned for the life of the part. We can also modify or repair existing tools, including tools you already own.
Longevity
Tools are maintained here between runs, so batch 50 comes off the press to the same dimensions as batch 1.
How a new pressing gets to production
Drawing or sample
Send the part drawing and expected annual quantity, or a part you'd like pressed instead.
Design for pressing
We check draw depth, bend radii, material grade and grain direction, and simplify where we can.
Tool build and first-off
The tool is made and first parts measured against the drawing, with a first-article report supplied.
Production
Runs are scheduled to your call-off; tools stay maintained and ready for the next batch.
Pressing versus bending, machining and casting
Made by pressing
- One tool, then seconds per part.
- Complex forms in one operation: draws, embosses, flanges and curves.
- Consistent to the tool, part after part.
- Lower unit cost at volume; material use optimised by blanking.
Made another way
- Press-brake bending: no tooling cost, ideal for one-offs and simple folds, slower and less repeatable per part. Bending and plate rolling →
- Machining: highest precision, most expensive per part, wasteful in material. CNC machining →
- Casting or forging: high tooling cost, long lead times, usually offshore. Many cast parts can be pressed instead.
The break-even depends on the part and the quantity. Send both and we will quote the option that costs you less. Sometimes that is bending, and we will say so.
Pressed parts that leave the workshop finished
Punched or perforated
Holes, slots and louvres added on the CNC turret press before or after forming.
CNC punching →
Welded
Pressed components assembled manually or on our robotic welding cell for repeat work.
Welding and robotic welding →Finished
Electrostatic 2-pack and enamel painting on site; powder coating, galvanising, plating and anodising arranged.
Inspected and delivered
Every batch checked under our quality management system; Perth metro on our own truck, freight interstate and overseas.
One tool, one supplier, one purchase order per batch.
Metal pressing for OEMs, mining suppliers and manufacturers
OEMs and equipment builders
Brackets, housings, clips and formed components on standing orders.
Mining and industrial suppliers
Pipe clamps, supports, wear components, refractory anchor hardware. Refractory anchors →
Automotive and transport
Vehicle brackets, body hardware and pressed fittings.
Product companies
A part currently machined, cast or imported that would be cheaper pressed locally.
Fabricators and engineers
Pressed blanks and sub-components for their own assemblies.
Interstate and export customers
Pressform ships pressed components across Australia, Dubai, the Middle East and other international markets.
Why choose Pressform for metal pressing
The only fabricator in Perth with this press
630 tonnes with a deep-draw die cushion, capacity most local workshops send east or offshore.
Tooling in-house
Designed, built, proved and maintained a few metres from the press.
Pressing since 1976
The company was founded on pressed refractory hardware and has run production pressings for mining, automotive and industrial customers for almost 50 years.
Metallurgy on staff
Forming grades, spring-back, draw ratios and stainless work-hardening are quoted by someone who understands them.
Not just a press shop
Blanking, punching, welding, machining and painting on the same site.
Inspected before dispatch
Every batch checked under our ISO 9001 quality management system, with first-article inspection and PPAP-style documentation available for automotive customers.
Pressed work from Bassendean
Pressed fasteners in quantity
Pressed hinge components
Over-centre fastener clamps
Heavy-duty pressed hangers
Press tooling
Punched and formed panel
Metal pressing FAQs
What is the difference between pressing, stamping and deep drawing?
They are the same family of process. Stamping usually means cutting and forming sheet in a die in one stroke: clips, brackets and washers. Pressing is the broader term for forming under a press. Deep drawing forms a flat blank into a cup or shell deeper than its diameter, and needs a die cushion to hold the blank, which our 630-tonne press has.
Do I need to pay for tooling?
For a new pressed part, yes. A tool has to exist. It is quoted separately from the parts, once. We can also run or repair tools you already own.
What is the minimum quantity?
There is no fixed minimum, but pressing only makes economic sense when the tooling cost is spread over enough parts. Send the drawing and your expected annual quantity; if bending or machining would be cheaper at your volume, we will quote that instead.
Can you make a prototype before I commit to production?
Yes. First-off parts come off the finished tool and are measured against the drawing before the production run. For very early prototypes we can often laser cut and press-brake a representative part first.
What materials can be pressed?
Carbon steel including forming and high-tensile grades, stainless steel, aluminium, copper and brass. Our in-house metallurgist advises on grade and temper for the draw or form required.
Do you do pressure die casting or forging?
No. Pressform presses, stamps and deep-draws sheet and plate; we do not cast or forge. Many components that are cast can be pressed instead, usually with lower tooling cost and shorter lead time. Ask us to look at the drawing.
Can you supply pressed parts interstate or overseas?
Yes. Pressed components are made in Bassendean and shipped Australia-wide, and to export customers including Dubai and the Middle East.
What is the lead time for a new pressed part?
Tool design and build is the long pole, and it is quoted with the tool. Once the tool exists, repeat batches are scheduled to your call-off.
Where are you, and can I visit?
23 Jackson Street, Bassendean WA 6054. Customers are welcome to see the press and tool room by appointment.