Argo Products Company has earned a reputation as a premier contract manufacturer of precision metal components. Based in a 75,000 sq ft facility in St. Louis, Missouri, the company has continually evolved to meet the toughest manufacturing challenges. Today, Argo combines progressive metal stamping with wire forming, robotic welding, assembly, and coating to deliver fully finished, ready-to-use parts to customers in industries such as automotive, appliance, electronics, and industrial equipment.

What Is Progressive Metal Stamping?

Progressive metal stamping is a high-speed, high-accuracy fabrication method whereby a continuous coil or strip of metal is fed through a series of stamping stations in a single die installed in a stamping press. Each station performs one or more operations—such as punching, bending, coining, trimming, or forming—on the strip. With each press stroke, the strip advances to the next station. At the final station, the completed part is cut free and separated from the carrier strip.

The process demands precise strip alignment, often within thousandths of an inch. Features like pilot holes help maintain stage-by-stage registration. Depending on the design, progressive die setups can achieve production rates exceeding 800 parts per minute. Progressive stamping is especially suitable for high-volume repeatable parts but can also be configured for lower-volume runs when complexity demands.

Argo’s Progressive Stamping Expertise

Argo Products has the equipment and engineering capability to apply progressive stamping across a wide mix of part types:

• Our press fleet includes over 60 presses, ranging from high-speed automatics to large-bed up to 800 ton capacity, with bed dimensions up to 48 × 72 inches, and stroke up to 10 inches.
• Part tolerances as tight as ± 0.005 inches are routinely achieved.
• Our facility can handle maximum part sizes up to 84 × 22 inches (or diameter 1 inch) and part weights up to 100 pounds. Thicknesses up to ¼‑inch heavy gauge are supported.

Supported materials span aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, nickel, stainless steel, steel, and titanium—enabling Argo to meet diverse material specifications across industries.

Engineering, Tooling & Value‑Added Services

Our in-house engineering team offers:

• Design assistance and DFM (Design for Manufacturability) consultations
• Prototyping and first‑article part production
• Custom progressive die tooling fabrication tailored to specifications

Once tooling is in place, we integrate additional operations to deliver finished components straight to customers:

• Secondary operations like flattening, drilling, tapping, threading, chamfering, swaging, and clinching
• Assembly, robotic welding, and coating when needed
• Engineering-managed kitting and inventory control packages for seamless supply chain support

All of this is wrapped within an ISO 9001-certified quality system, supported by lean and 5S practices to guarantee consistent part quality and on-time delivery.

Why Progressive Stamping Matters for Argo Customers

1. Efficiency & Throughput

Because progressive stamping handles multiple operations in a single, automated press cycle, production is fast and lean. Argo’s high-speed presses deliver cycle times measured in seconds per part—even for complex geometries—making it ideal for both large‑scale and medium‑run projects.

2. Precision & Repeatability

With tight tolerances (±0.005") and precision tooling, each part matches exact specifications. Progressive stamping inherently ensures part-to-part uniformity, essential for reliability-critical applications such as electrical connectors, heat shields, or structural brackets.

3. Cost‑Effectiveness

Combining multiple forming steps into one die reduces labor and overhead and economizes raw material usage. The fewer handling steps, the lower the cost-per-piece, especially at scale. Argo’s engineering approach emphasizes material yield, scrap minimization, and tooling efficiency from the outset.

4. Material and Part Versatility

Argo supports a wide material palette and part shapes. Whether you need complex stamped clips in stainless steel, aluminum housings, or titanium brackets, our system can produce it consistently.

5. Scalability

Argo can handle the full spectrum of production volumes—from prototype/test runs through pilot, up to millions-per-year production. Customers benefit from a scalable process path without reinvesting in new suppliers or tooling transitions.

6. Streamlined Supply‑Chain Integration

Argo’s combination of stamping, welding/assembly, finishing, and kitting means clients receive complete modules or assemblies—not just raw stampings. This simplifies vendor management and reduces logistics complexity.

Industries & Application Examples

Argo Products serves a broad customer base across:

• Automotive and transportation, producing stamped brackets, clips, connectors, and housings
• Appliances and electronics, delivering precision terminals, fasteners, and structural elements
• Industrial and agricultural equipment, manufacturing durable support parts and machine components
• Medical and lawn & garden appliances, supplying corrosion-resistant, high‑precision metal parts

One illustrative example: a multi‑station progressive die might punch, form, and cut a metallic connector in a single down-stroke, delivering hundreds or thousands of units per hour; the parts can then feed directly into sub‑assemblies or kitted parts packages ready for shipment.

The Argo Advantage—What Sets Us Apart

• Nearly a century of experience in custom metal fabrication and continuous process improvement
• ISO 9001 quality system, embedded lean manufacturing, 5S, rigorous inspection, and material traceability
• A self‑contained facility with engineering, stamping, fabrication, welding, and inventory capability all under one roof
• A customer-centric approach, partnering from concept to production with flexibility and responsiveness
• A reputation for cost containment, material savings, and supply‑chain simplification

How Argo Works with Customers

1. Design Collaboration
   Early involvement of Argo’s engineering team helps refine part geometry and optimize die stages for cost-effective mass production, often before a final material or finish is selected.
2. Tooling & Prototyping
   Custom progressive dies and rapid-prototype runs validate fit, form, and function.
3. Production Launch
   Once validated, production moves to high‑speed presses—automatics, servo‑driven indexers, or hydraulic machines—depending on part requirements.
4. Secondary Operations & Kitting
   Post‑stamping finishes—including threading, bending, welding, or coatings—are integrated. Argo also offers kitting and inventory staging for JIT delivery.
5. Quality Assurance & Delivery
   Parts are inspected to customer specs and delivered with traceability, documentation, and packaging tailored to client needs.

Conclusion

At Argo Products, progressive metal stamping is not just a capability—it’s a core operating philosophy combining speed, precision, and integration. Whether you require thousands of stamped brackets for agricultural machinery, intricate connector parts for electronics, or metal assemblies for transportation equipment, Argo provides a streamlined, high‑quality manufacturing solution.

Our integration of engineering assistance, precision tooling, ISO-certified quality, and full secondary services offers a competitive manufacturing advantage. Customers across sectors benefit from Argo’s ability to deliver production‑ready stamped components, assembled and delivered efficiently—all backed by nearly a century of expertise and continuous improvement.

For companies seeking precision, agility, and value in metal fabrication, Argo Products’ progressive metal stamping services present a robust solution—every part produced with consistency, reliability, and optimal efficiency.