keyboard_arrow_up

Metal Shim Manufacturers and Suppliers

IQS Directory provides a detailed list of metal shim manufacturers and suppliers. Find metal shim companies that can design, engineer, and manufacture metal shims to your specifications. Peruse our website to review and discover top metal shim manufacturers with roll over ads and complete product descriptions. Connect with the metal shim companies through our hassle-free and efficient request for quote form. You are provided company profiles, website links, locations, phone numbers, product videos, and product information. Read reviews and stay informed with product news articles. Whether you are looking for manufacturers of spring clips, metal brackets, or progressive stampings of every type, IQS is the premier source for you.

  • Gurnee, IL

    We are the metal stampings experts. We have over 30 years of experience creating customized solutions for our customers in a wide variety of industries. We are fully 9001:2008 certified, and we bring that high quality commitment to everything we do. If you want your products with high quality and low prices, there is no need to look further! Visit us online or give us a call today to learn more!

    Read Reviews
  • Crystal Lake, IL

    Manufacturer of precision metal stampings for the automotive, electronics, electrical, medical, industrial & consumer markets. Production tooling is covered by a lifetime guarantee & is designed utilizing extensive planning & risk avoidance techniques including sensors, mistake proofing & PPAP.

    Read Reviews
  • Cleveland, OH

    As a premiere metal stamping company in the United States, we are fully capable of producing the engineered products you need to get to get your job done. We believe in providing the very best quality metal stampings, and we never sacrifice on customer service. Contact us today, by giving us a call or visiting our website, to find out more!

    Read Reviews
  • Calabasas, CA

    At Pacific West America, Inc. we provide custom metal stamping, CNC machining, printed circuit boards, and membrane switches. Utilizing state of the art machinery, we offer precision metal fabrication and sheet metal fabrication. The company consists of two state-of-the-art plants, staffed with highly trained engineers and experts prepared to handle all of your projects. For unparalleled service and design, contact us today!

    Read Reviews
  • Grand Rapids, MI

    Apex Spring & Stamping is a certified minority owned company that manufacturers springs, stampings, wire forms, clips, and fasteners. Our core industries include automotive, office furniture, medical, recreational, consumer goods, and appliances. We also specialize in value added assembly and prototyping. Our engineering team will ensure your part is both functional and cost-effective. IATF 16949 Certified.

    Read Reviews
  • Twin Falls, ID

    As a precision stamping specialist, we take pride in producing high quality custom metal stampings for our customers. We are experts in progressive and compound die stamping. Our capabilities allow us to manufacture parts from coil or strip material up to 6 inches wide and work with a range of thicknesses from .001 to .134 inches. Find out more on our website, or give us a call today!

    Read Reviews
  • Jackson, WI

    Quality Stamping & Tube Corp has been a leader in the aluminum extrusions and metal stamping industries for over 40 years. We attribute our success to our in-house die-making capabilities and wide range of extruded parts. All of our products are manufactured with quick turnaround and made to be high quality and durable. Our metal stampings can be up to 1/4 inch thick with various metals, including stainless steel, brass, and aluminum.

    Read Reviews
  • Springfield, KY

    At LB Manufacturing, we excel in delivering high-quality metal stampings that cater to a wide range of industries. Our commitment to precision and innovation defines our approach, ensuring that every product meets rigorous standards of excellence. We specialize in producing metal stampings that encompass a diverse array of applications. Our advanced technology allows us to handle intricate designs and complex geometries with exceptional accuracy.

    Read Reviews
  • St. Paul, MN

    At Tempco Manufacturing Company, Inc., we excel in delivering high-quality metal stampings tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients. Our extensive expertise and advanced technology enable us to produce a wide array of precision-engineered components, each crafted to exacting standards. We embrace a commitment to innovation and excellence, ensuring that every product we manufacture meets the highest benchmarks of durability and performance.

    Read Reviews
  • More Metal Shims Companies

Metal Shims Industry Information

Metal Shims

The term shim refers to any type of material that is used to fill a space, balance an opening, or adjust clearances. In many cases, shims may be made from any type of handy available material designed for temporary use. High-quality shims are manufactured and produced from metal for more complex and intricate applications that require precision and care.

Although all shims have a purpose and function, metal shims traverse the common uses of shims and take their use to a higher level. The key factor with metal shims is their durability in the face of designs and assemblies that demand precise measurements.

Regardless of the type and kind of metal shims, they are a vital part of various manufacturing applications such as motor mounting, shaft alignment, and reducing the distance between parts using a differential shim. The materials used to produce a shim are dependent on the environment where they will be used. Materials can range from plain wood to carbon steel and stainless steel.

Quick links to Metal Shims Information

The Shim Manufacturing Process

Shims are one of those tools that are vital, essential, and unseen. They fill in unwanted space, create balance, and fill gaps. For a metal shim to work properly, it must be shaped, cut, and tooled to exact specifications to make adjustments, position equipment, and ensure proper machine operation.

Stamping
Stamping is a sheet metal forming process that converts flat metal sheets into predetermined and designed shapes. It includes a variety of processes including blanking, punching, bending, and piercing. When manufacturing shims, a steel rule die is used to cut shims from sheet metal.
Stamping involves feeding coiled metal into a stamping machine that cuts the shape of the shim from the coil with several tons of force. Stamping machines come in several different sizes. Each size offers a different amount of force to cut through metal coil.
CNC Cutting
Computer numerical control (CNC) cutting is a fully automated process that uses information from various types of design software to guide cutting tools over a sheet of metal. Once data is downloaded into a CNC machine, it is converted to various programmed codes that align the shapes of the designs to diminish waste and increase productivity.
CNC milling is used to make metal shims in various sizes, shapes, and configurations. A rotating tool moves along a preprogrammed path to cut a sheet of metal and remove material. The CNC process produces high precision shims with exceptional tolerances.
Water Jet Cutting
Water jet cutting uses an abrasive material, such as aluminum oxide, silica sand, silicon carbide, and garnet, that is suspended in water and forced, under pressure, against a piece of metal. The abrasive and high pressure removes metal from the workpiece and leaves the shape of the shim. The process of water jet cutting is exceptionally accurate, precise, and is capable of producing complex and intricate geometries. A major benefit of water jet cutting is the limited amount of waste it produces.
Unlike other cutting processes, water jet cutting is able to shape metals that are sensitive and do not react well to high temperatures. As with CNC cutting, water jet cutting is able to cut shims with exceptionally high tolerances and does not affect the microstructure of the cut piece.

Metal Used to Produce Metal Shims

Aside from their many sizes and shapes, shims come in an assortment of common industrial metals. Each metal is designed to meet the needs of a specific application. Since shims are a necessary part of industrial operations, shims are produced to be adjustable and adaptable to fit several types of conditions and environments.

Aluminum Shims
Aluminum shims are lighter, corrosion-resistant, and come in different sizes and shapes. The manufacture of aluminum shims includes the use of several grades of aluminum. The key features of aluminum shims is their lightweight, excellent strength, and resistance to cracking under pressure. Aluminum shims can be laminated for easy adjustment to the size of an opening.
Steel Shims
Steel is an alloy of iron with a carbon content of 0.08% up to 0.13%, which varies according to the grade of steel. It is widely used as shim material due to its strength and low cost. Steel comes in low, medium, or high carbon, with high-carbon steel being harder and less ductile. Shims made of steel are designed for indoor use due to steel's tendency to rust and corrode without being galvanized.
Stainless Steel Shims
Stainless steel has properties that make it one of the most versatile shim materials. It has a balance of strength, durability, hardness, and corrosion resistance. Shims made of stainless can be used for outdoor projects and marine applications. The types of shims made from stainless steel include shim plates, alignment shims, bearing shims, and shim spacers.
The three metals named above are a few of the metals used to produce shims. Nearly all forms of metal are used to produce shims and include titanium, copper, brass, spring steel, bronze, and nickel silver. The varied choices of metals make it possible for shim manufacturers to customize shims to precisely meet customer needs.

Uses for Metal Shims

The unseen common shim is designed to fill the gaps between components, elevate materials, align parts, and provide a measure of balance. Regardless of their size and invisibility, they are an essential part of the operations of several industries.

Aerospace:
The main purpose of shims in the aerospace industry is to achieve tight tolerances to position components. The nature of the applications in the aerospace industry requires that shims be exceptionally sturdy and corrosion-resistant.
Automotive:
Shims are used in every aspect of the auto industry from manufacturing processes to the maintenance and upkeep of machinery. They are used for valve clearances, spacing of parts, and electric vehicle applications.
Oil and Gas:
There is a great deal of stress placed on equipment in the oil and gas industry, which requires shims to absorb tolerances in pumps and motors, align components, and use as thrust washers.
Medical devices:
In medicine, shims serve a very critical function in regard to implants and prosthetics, where they are used to pinpoint needed tolerances. Additionally, shims are used to align imaging equipment and surgical robots.
Marine:
Much like the oil and gas industry, shims are used in the marine industry to align and position equipment. The types of shims for marine use are required to be corrosion-resistant metals such as stainless steel and brass.