Press tooling
Brandauer’s press tooling services support the efficient manufacture of high-quality metal components with the precision, consistency, and durability needed for demanding production runs. Backed by in-house tooling expertise, we help customers develop robust tooling solutions that improve quality, repeatability, and production performance.
Bespoke tooling that maximises output and minimises downtime
Brandauer has been building precision tools since the 1800s, and while the company may be best known for its precision component manufacturing and metal stamping capabilities, tooling remains one of the most fundamental parts of the business.
Brandauer’s press tools are designed to support production volumes ranging from 10,000 to more than 100,000,000 components per year. By buying, designing and manufacturing tools to Brandauer’s three standard tooling structures, customers benefit from a cost-effective and dependable solution.
Combined with low-volume capabilities such as laser cutting and metal forming, Brandauer offers a complete solution to a wide range of precision manufacturing challenges.
Three unique tooling standards
Brandauer’s three-stage tooling standards are completely unique in the industry of precision tooling. It gives a clear pathway and indication for companies to understand which precision tool would work best for their specific project. It also allows Brandauer to recommend different tooling standards to customers based on their decades of experience.
Standard fixed tooling
Brandauer’s most basic, but still incredibly accurate tooling standard. For components with less-tight tolerances and for lower volumes, this tooling standard allows for components to be manufactured repeatedly and accurately without enduring the cost of a full precision first Brandauer tool:
- Die set precision guidance elements only
- Typically, with the use of fixed location punches
- Material thickness >0.5mm
- Full tool protection included
- Volume circa. 50,000 – 250,000 pa
Precision fixed tooling
Brandauer’s middle-of-the-road tooling solutions. For components which require tighter tolerances and long-term repeatability. This level of tool is always produced in-house, at Brandauer’s facility, by our expert team and can guarantee precision components from the first off to the last off.
- Full-length die set (Top and bottom Bolster) with large precision guidance elements
- Fixed internal elements with individual precision guidance elements
- Punches and dies cut to +/- 0.001mm
- Material thickness 0.05mm – 2.0mm
- Full tool protection
- Volume Circa. 250,000 – 5,000,000 pa
Fully modular tooling
Brandauer’s most advanced and precise tooling standard. For projects that require long-term, precise, high-volume manufacturing. This tooling standard is Brandauer’s own development and not a common solution within this industry. You can read more about Brandauer’s modular tooling standard here
- Full-length die set (Top and bottom bolster) with large precision guidance elements
- Internal modules with individual precision guidance elements
- Punches and dies cut to +/- 0.001mm
- Typical material thicknesses between 0.05mm – 2.0mm
- Suitable for ‘in-press’ change over
- Reduced change over time ‘SMED’
- Full tool protection
- Volume Circa. 5,000,000+ pa
Tooling expertise spanning centuries
From early 19th-century pen nib manufacture, through the demands of two world wars, to the rise of high-volume precision components, each era has refined and expanded our capabilities. Explore Brandauer’s journey below as a story of continual reinvention, with tooling expertise at its heart.
Brandauer’s tooling heritage begins before the company was even founded in 1862. It actually began in the 1840’s. Where one of the founders of C. Brandauer & Co. Ltd, Joseph Letière Petit, completed his apprenticeship in toolmaking for a pen nib manufacturer). Alongside his inventive mind and toolmaking expertise, Joseph began submitting his own patents for pen nibs in the early 1860s, with his partner at the time, Robert Ash. A couple of years later, Karl Brandauer came to the UK and was impressed with the pen trade. He funded a new factory and, together with Joseph, C. Brandauer & Co. Ltd was announced in August of 1862 by the Birmingham Journal.
Tooling was the backbone of Brandauer’s domination in the pen trade during the 1800s. With over 400 individual pen nib designs (with some designs coming in multiple sizes) by 1890, hundreds of punches, dies, and tool sets were required for manufacturing. This required inventory management, in-house maintenance, fast die changeovers and skilled toolmakers embedded within production.
It was the First World War that began proving Brandauer’s tooling skillset was transferable beyond the pen nib trade. First producing components for the Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle. The manufacturing of these components allowed Brandauer to experiment with building tools outside of the pen trade, and during the 1930s, Board meeting records show that “Mr Gorton is doing some pioneering work” in what was described as “light presswork”.
But it was the Second World War that completely changed Brandauer operationally. Heavy involvement in the aviation sector was at the forefront of this change. Over 2 million components were produced for aircraft, including undercarriage units, controls such as rudder pedals and other items. Beyond aircraft, Brandauer manufactured parts for tanks, armoured cars and even watch cases.
Following World War II, Brandauer’s tooling continued to expand, and with the rapid growth of the electronics and automotive industries, high-volume precision component manufacturing became the norm for Brandauer. Toolmakers on a daily basis were being exposed to tighter tolerances and higher volumes, and multi-stage, precision progression tools were becoming the standard for Brandauer.
Expanding into the modern day. Brandauer has continued to invest in their tooling departments. More recently, in 2022, partnering with In-Comm Training to open the UK’s first precision tooling academy to train engineers to be toolmakers, and secondly, in 2024, Brandauer secured the King’s award for innovation for their modular precision progression tooling solution to aid in manufacturing for OEMs such as JLR.
Brandauer’s technical capabilities
One key technology in our toolkit is VISI Progress, a specialised CAD/CAM solution used for progressive die design and press tool development and manufacture. This software gives Brandauer essential design fluidity, helping our tool designers make intelligent decisions early in the design process, reduce potential errors, and significantly improve productivity.
Design and manufacturing of press tools – Brandauer has integrated a dedicated WEDM facility, which houses multiple Agie Charmilles wire EDM machines, with fully integrated CAD/CAM software. These machines are a rarity in the UK, and it showcases Brandauer’s commitment to continuous improvement and investment in new and innovative technologies.
Brandauer’s tools all have the capabilities to run anywhere between 10 and 1,200 strokes per minute and consistently for some 15-20 years with proper maintenance.
Tool transfer capability
Tool transfer, also known within the industry as tool outsourcing and re-sourcing, is a service dedicated to help customers achieve the transfer of established press tools with minimum inconvenience and risk endured during the process. Brandauer’s in-house toolmaking expertise, combined with advanced in-house press-tool design systems, allows us to take ownership of existing tools quickly, accurately, and without disruption to component production and supplies.
a proven staged process, we analyse and refine transferred tools to Brandauer standards. This involves stripping down the tool to allow for proper inspection and rebuilding of the tool to bring it back to “showroom” condition.
Whether you’re stabilising legacy tooling or preparing a tool for higher volumes. A tool transfer process utilising Brandauer’s expertise removes risks and decreases downtime.
Tool transfer process stages:
1. Evaluate
- Determine specifications
- Identity tool type
- What is the required output?
Outcome – Concept Sheet
2. Diagnose
- Transfer tool
- What are the problems?
- Tool Review
Outcome – Tool Assessment (25% Discounted rate on all required tool work applies)
3. Recommend
- Propose Improvements
- Communication
- Confirm Costs
Outcome – Tool Report
4. Implement
- Appoint Project Manager
- Client Meeting
- Transfer supply
Outcome – Purchase Order
5. Review
- Resources
- Measure Results
- Apply continuous improvement process
Outcome – Enter CI initiative
Brandauer’s prototyping service
Brandauer’s rapid prototyping service supports the fast-paced demands of modern press tooling projects. If you need to validate a component concept before committing to full tooling investment, we can produce precision metal components in as little as 48 hours.
Our process combines laser cutting, metal forming and decades of stamping expertise to deliver accurate, high-quality parts without delay – helping you meet tight development timelines with confidence.
With quotes available in as little as 24 hours, our prototyping service is ideal for toolmakers and engineers who need parts in hand quickly for trials or design validation. You’ll benefit from the same depth of knowledge and reliability that underpins every Brandauer tool – ensuring each prototype meets the standards required for high-volume production.
Prototype cycles can be staged from laser cut and rapid form solutions to soft tooled single stage tools, onto low volume progression tools and scaled to fully modular progression tooled solutions as volumes increase.
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Industry insights, technical guidance and knowledge sharing from Brandauer, global leader in precision high-volume engineering.
Nationally recognised,
globally trusted
Beyond heritage and case studies, Brandauer has a reputation backed by a range of awards and quality standards. Along with being one of the very few SMEs to hold both the King’s and Queen’s Awards for International Trade and Innovation, the business has also been a proud recipient of multiple awards over the years, all in many different areas, spanning components, people and environmental efforts!
Beyond Brandauer’s success, we hold a range of quality certifications and are committed to continuous improvement of everything we do.
New Press Tool or Tool Transfer enquiry
You can speed up the enquiry process for your desired press tooling requirements by answering as many questions as possible in the form below, which is segmented for new tooling requests and requests for the transfer of established tooling. The facility to provide detailed drawings or relevant documents is also offered.