One of our customers wanted to replace its aluminium clamps with stainless steel ones. The benefits of this are twofold. The customer could mount signs using an intelligent system, and the delicate clamp prongs would no longer be left blunt after clamping. The budget, however, didn’t allow for any price increases – even though the new material cost considerably more.
After a close examination of the production process, a number of substantial changes were made. Instead of being individually cut out of the stainless steel plate with a laser, clamps are now cut out as a group and left ‘sticking’ to one another. Now bending can begin. The customer is free to cut each clamp – to the right length and right at the designated ‘break point’.
The material has no weaknesses to speak of. What’s more, the advantages of this process clearly outweigh those of stamping, as the intricate geometry severely shortened tools’ service life. Clamps operate with a greater degree of safety. So signs stay safely and permanently in place.
