Embossing is a texturing technique used to raise or stamp patterns into a given material.
Embossing is similar to engraving, which is a technique that cuts designs into the material rather than lifting or stamping.
Both techniques are decorative and can be very beautiful. However, embossing takes a step further into functional.
Why Embossing for Metal Strengthening?
The embossing process increases a material's strength. If we can synthetically increase the strength of a given metal, that presents new possibilities for material usage and cost efficiency.
We are able to roll the materials thinner, reducing the amount of material needed overall (and thus cost for our clients). We are able to use materials that would usually be inadequate for the project at hand (such as replacing aluminum with carbon steel).
The Embossed Tube
Carbon steel is cheaper overall than aluminum, but it's much heavier at the same thickness. That makes it difficult to use in consumer products.
The embossing process allows us to consider carbon steel as an option, which saves quite a bit of money for our clients. We are able to roll the carbon steel much thinner (decreasing its weight) and reinforce it with embossing to increase its strength by three times.
We detail a specific project we did for a client in this eBook on a reinforced embossed tube.
The result is: less materials used, cheaper materials used, lightweight end product. If the metal is finished with paint or powder coating, the only giveaway of a change would be the embossed ridges.
Can my product be embossed?
In theory, embossing and other similar techniques can be applied to a variety of materials to strengthen, cut down on material usage, and decrease a product's weight.
Obviously, we don't use embossing for every project - sometimes it's unnecessary, sometimes the client doesn't like the ridged aesthetic, sometimes it will actually be detrimental to the final product.
We can't say if embossing is the right process for you unless we know the details of your project. If you're interested in what embossing might be able to do for you, give us a holler.
