Dan Stevens (Steelsmith)

[Operations Team]

Thought I'd come over here to see what else is going on in the metalshaping world. My name is Dan Stevens, from Nampa Idaho. I have interests in metalshaping by traditional methods, by press forming and any other way that can enhance/broaden my metalshaping results.
I am currently tooling up for some grille parts I'm manufacturing. The molds are composite, much like a hammer form. The dies are urethane. The press is a screw press of about 25-30 tons.
The material is 3003 aluminum 1/8" thick. When doing this type of press work, there is substantial hammer work between pressings. A traditional hydraulic press could do this kind of work much easier, but the tooling costs for steel molds/dies would be beyond my reach. As it is, I am waay pushing my budget. The materials cost is reasonable but the time involved is pretty extreme for such low volume items. I can only speculate that I can make back my investment over time.

You may be wondering, why bother? Lots of weldor/fabricators out of work around here. With 32 years experience, I'm viewed as expensive help. They can hire new less experienced help, at a rate of two to one of me. In this economy my best bet is to do some manufacturing as well as panel shaping out of my own shop. So, I'm always open to new ways of getting the job done/thinking outside of the box.

Hope to pick up an idea or two here that may help me find my own 'Magic Bullet' type product that keeps the wolves away from the door.

Dan Stevens
dba, Steelsmith