STÜKEN

STÜKEN is the global leader in delivering precise and high-quality deep-drawn and stamped metal parts. We can also support you with plastic injection molded parts and comprehensive assemblies. STÜKEN MEANS MORE. We persist when others surrender.

STÜKEN was founded by Hubert Stüken in 1931. Today, the family-owned business is in the hands of the third and fourth generations. Approximately 1250 employees work at five locations in Europe, Asia, and North America. The sales network spans 13 locations worldwide. In North America we supply you out of our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.

For over 90 years, deep-drawing, stamping, and assembling components have been part of our DNA. By continuously evolving our plants, our machinery and our technologies, we offer our customers more possibilities: ready-to-use products, integrated finishing processes, and guaranteed quality even with the smallest tolerances and the highest repeatability. We find compelling solutions for the most intricate challenges.

A significant reason that makes us the world’s leading solutions provider for small, highly precise metal parts and assemblies is the collaborative relationship we cultivate with our customers. We listen. We understand our customers’ products. Our customers value our expertise – often for decades – and involve us from the very beginning of their product development. We approach our customers as holistic solution partners – from the initial design to the final assembly process, from incoming goods to delivery. The advantages for our customers when partnering with STÜKEN are evident: there are practically endless opportunities to improve existing products and develop new ones. Through innovation, they can enhance their brand, expand into new customer markets, and strengthen their company’s growth. With STÜKEN, they have a passionate enabler by their side.

Precision from the first to the millionth piece – that’s what STÜKEN customers can rely on. We work for industries that demand high-quality, precise solutions. This includes the automotive industry, medical technology, electronics, and the consumer goods sector. From electronics to everyday appliances – STÜKEN supplies all sectors of industry worldwide, always ensuring reliably high quality. With our technological know-how and extensive experience in meeting industry-specific customer needs, we can guarantee precision – even in high volumes – over many years. An invaluable advantage for our customers: thanks to STÜKEN, they can plan for the long term. Maximum efficiency in tool design, up to serial production, and continuous process optimization are second nature to us.

STÜKEN MEDICAL

Thanks to the numerous advantages of deep-drawing, the manufacturing technology has become indispensable in the medical field. Simultaneously, medical technology is a highly regulated industry with many specific requirements. To meet the industry’s demands, STÜKEN has established its dedicated division: STÜKEN MEDICAL. Deep drawing offers several advantages in the field of medical technology. Standardization, miniaturization, and the required process control play a significant role in this area, as does the growing cost pressure. Especially for large quantities, deep drawing can provide cost advantages and serve as an attractive alternative to turning.

Applications include functional components in medical devices and tools, as well as products for diagnosis and treatment, e.g. insulin pumps. Components for solenoid valves and sensors, stainless steel casings, and titanium implant housings are also ideal candidates for deep drawing, as it ensures biological cleanliness. Deep-drawn parts are also used in pacemaker casings, among other applications. Similarly, they play a role in primary packaging for medications.

In addition to stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, and bronze, components made from difficult-to-form materials like titanium, molybdenum, Inconel, or niobium can also be produced using the deep drawing process. Titanium is particularly well-suited as a deep drawing material in medical technology, especially when low weight and temperature resistance are required. Titanium components are known for being exceptionally thin-walled, making them excellent for lightweight design. This can lead to material and cost savings through deep drawing technology. Another advantage is that the cold forming process results in increased strength, making the components more stable and resilient.

Certified to ISO 13485 – STÜKEN quality you can rely on

STÜKEN is certified according to DIN EN ISO 13485. Our customers can trust that our quality management system and processes meet the stringent regulatory requirements in the medical technology field. The DIN standard ISO 13485 primarily focuses on product safety and effectiveness, especially in the medical field. Thanks to this certification, STÜKEN can support their customers and facilitate the approval of their medical products. With quality assurance, compliance with standards, comprehensive documentation, and traceability, STÜKEN is a reliable partner.

Countless possibilities: Deep-drawing technology

The possibilities of deep-drawing are as diverse as the requirements of our customers. STÜKEN can manufacture deep-drawn components with exceptional degrees of forming, unique shapes, extremely small dimensions, and complex geometric requirements. These components can also be crafted from materials that are difficult to form.

We process all materials suitable for deep-drawing. These include common metals like steel, copper, nickel, and aluminum, as well as alloys such as stainless steel and brass. STÜKEN also uses special materials, such as molybdenum, niobium, or titanium. We closely monitor the development of new suitable materials to continuously expand the range of deep-drawn parts, even for exceptional applications.

With over 300 presses with up to 30 tool stations, STÜKEN can produce a wide variety of deep-drawn parts. If a customer project requires additional specifications, our machine park can be adjusted and expanded.

Transfer presses and automatic stamping machines with progressive dies are the core of our deep-drawing production. To ensure that the systems can be optimally adapted to production needs and customer requirements, STÜKEN has its in-house press construction.

Stamping: Perfect shape and highest precision

Delicate stamped parts just a few millimeters in length or complex stamped grids made of aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and copper, as well as their various alloys – STÜKEN can produce them all.

Since 2005, we have been producing highly precise products in large series. We focus on items such as contacts, lead frames, busbars, and various functional parts. Our high-performance stamping machines with press forces ranging from 180 to 4000 kN can process various materials with thicknesses from 0.03 mm to 4 mm.

Our expertise lies in the development of tools in terms of design and manufacturing. We produce our own tools to facilitate cost-efficient manufacturing. If a task cannot be solved directly by us, we work with trusted partners, especially when it comes to coatings with gold, silver, tin, and zinc. And STÜKEN thinks ahead: for optimal handling of finished products, we provide custom-made reusable packaging. They are lightweight, offer excellent protection, and are cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Custom assemblies for direct assembly

Our customers demand solutions for intricate and specialized tasks within their applications. To address this, we collaborate with them to develop custom assemblies and the required processes. STÜKEN provides a full range of services in assembly production, encompassing tasks such as laser welding, resistance welding, the integration of multiple components, leakage testing, and individual packaging in trays. If necessary, we also conduct final 100% inspections using cutting-edge technology.

All aspects converge under our supervision: we assemble precision components produced in-house and components either provided by or procured for the project. We oversee the entire process from inception to the completion of the assembly.

Plastic injection molding for stamped and formed parts

There are many reasons to opt for hybrid parts made of metal and plastic: high design freedom, optimized functionality, and reduced weight, to name a few. We consider all these aspects during the planning phase when stamped and formed parts are to be overmolded with different plastics. With the in-house production of customized injection molds, we can deliver excellent quality.

Finishing Processes

STÜKEN combines the deep-drawing and stamping technologies with finishing processes and services. The result is solutions that represent real added value for customers. The industry-leading spectrum of finishing processes allows us to deliver ready-to-use components. We are the only company in the metal forming sector that offers a process like the patented SWEP15® surface layer hardening and has its own in-house galvanic department. With SWEP15®, STÜKEN provides a unique wear protection for stainless steel deep-drawn and stamped parts in high-performance applications.

Cleanroom

With validated cleaning processes and Class 7 cleanrooms according to ISO 14644 and EU GMP Guidelines Class C, we can ensure the desired cleanliness in terms of microbial contamination and particle concentrations. We manufacture precision parts of excellent quality and cleanliness, specifically tailored to the application, with consistent accuracy.

Digital solutions in design, tooling and prototyping

STÜKEN collaborates closely with customers in the development of deep-drawing product designs. Digital processes play a crucial role. STÜKEN maintains a unique database of all parameters relevant to simulations in the field of deep-drawing technology. These data are obtained using Finite Element Analysis (FEE). This allows for virtual testing within the customer’s CAD assembly using geometric data. These “virtual try-outs” or early-stage testing provide customers with the freedom to explore and potentially implement new and unconventional ideas, both in terms of the form and function of a deep-drawn component. Design feedback can be provided even before the creation of initial physical prototypes and the start of production.