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Dimple forming services

7 Materials

.025"- .125" Thick

+1-3 days

Production Time

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benefits
Materials
guidelines
what to expect

Dimple Forming sizing and options

Part Sizes
A.
Based on dimple size
Min part size
B.
26” x 56”
Max part size
C.
3"
Max dimple size
7 MATERIALS, .025" - .125"
2024 T3 Aluminum5052 H32 Aluminum6061 T6 AluminumG90 Galvanized SteelMild Steel304 Stainless Steel316 Stainless Steel
Compatible Services
Laser CuttingBendingAnodizingPowder CoatingTappingDeburringHardware InsertionWeldingTumblingCountersinking

Fast turnarounds to keep your projects moving

Strengthen your parts without adding weight. Dimple forming is a simple way to increase rigidity while keeping production fast.
powder-scroller
blue-powder-bends
pc-muulti-stack2
gray-pow-gaskets
dimple-wrinkle-pow-1

Increase strength without adding weight

Dimples add stiffness to flat sheet metal, reducing flex and improving structural integrity without increasing material thickness.

Quick to add, no delays

Dimple forming is performed in-house, adding only +1–3 days to standard production

Flexible materials and sizes

Available on 7+ metals and a wide range of thicknesses, with dimple sizes up to 3″ diameter and part sizes from small brackets to large panels.
Custom laser cut part with bending, dimple forming, and powder coating

“Designed an aluminum skidplate with dimple dies on Sunday and received it on Wednesday.”

Sabas Vargas

Available materials for Dimple Forming

Several material properties come into play when adding dimple forming including composition, thickness and elasticity. We currently offer the following materials for dimple forming:

One step to a finished part
Built to take abuse
Looks as good as it performs

2024 T3 Aluminum

1 thickness: .025"

5052 H32 Aluminum

6 thicknesses: .040" – .125"

6061 T6 Aluminum

4 thicknesses: .040" – .125"

G90 Galvanized Steel

4 thicknesses: .030" – .074"

Mild Steel

6 thicknesses: .030" – .119"

304 Stainless Steel

6 thicknesses: .030" – .125"

316 Stainless Steel

2 thicknesses: .060" – .125"

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Dimple forming adds 1-3 days to production. For the fastest lead time, order dimple formed parts separately

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Affordable pricing. Up to 80% off in bulk.

Add dimple forming to sheet metal parts

304 Stainless Steel .060"

3.5 x 2.5 in

Laser cutting, dimple forming, deburring

Qty 1:

$21.74/ea

Qty 100:

$5.29/ea

Cold Rolled Steel .048"

18 x 12.5 in

Laser cutting, bending, dimple forming, powder coating

Qty 1:

$90.75/ea

Qty 100:

$33.08/ea

5052 Aluminum .080"

25.75 x 10.75 in

Laser cutting, bending, dimple forming, deburring

Qty 1:

$80.56/ea

Qty 100:

$40.40/ea

Design guidelines for dimple formed parts

Following a few basic design guidelines will help ensure your parts are dimple formed correctly and pass SendCutSend review.

Sizing requirements

Sizing limits apply to flat parts before bending
Min part size (flat) Depends on dimple selected (see chart below)
Max part size (flat)  26″ x 56″
Max hole size 4.00″ – holes auto-resize to match your dimple selection
Dimple width positioning  7″–19″ from edge, measured from dimple center

Minimum part sizes based on the dimple used:

Dimple size (A) Min part size (B) Min distance to edge from dimple center (C)
0.500″ 1.200″ 0.600″
0.750” 1.450” 0.725″
1.000” 1.950” 0.975″
1.250” 2.450” 1.225″
1.500” 2.700″ 1.350″
1.750” 3.200” 1.800″
2.000” 3.470” 1.735″
2.500” 4.450” 2.225″
3.000” 5.200” 2.600″

Spacing & clearance

Keep dimples away from other features — holes or cutouts too close to the dimple die will deform during forming. Space dimples from bend lines by adding min feature distance (D) + half the bend allowance for your material and bend angle. Use the Bend Calculator to find your bend allowance.

Dimple Tool OD (A) Dimple Major (B) Dimple size / Minor (C)* Min distance to other features (D) Min distance dimple center to bend line (E) Min distance to the same dimple (F)
1.200″ 0.850″ 0.500″ 0.600″ 0.600″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 1.200″
1.450″ 1.150” 0.750” 0.725” 0.725″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 1.450”
1.950″ 1.575” 1.000” 0.975” 0.975″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 1.950”
2.450″ 1.875” 1.250” 1.225” 1.225″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 2.450”
2.700″ 2.200” 1.500” 1.350” 1.350″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 2.700″
3.200″ 2.500” 1.750” 1.600” 1.600″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 3.200”
3.470″ 2.900” 2.000” 1.735” 1.735″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 3.470”
4.450″ 3.600″ 2.500” 2.225” 2.225″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 4.450”
5.200″ 4.375” 3.000” 2.600″ 2.600″ (D) + 1/2 the bend allowance for material thickness & bend angle 5.200”

What to expect with dimple formed parts

  • Process order: Dimple forming is performed after tapping, countersinking, deburring, and tumbling and before bending, hardware, and finishing services.
  • Material behavior: Dimple forming can cause slight bowing or warping depending on material type, thickness, and geometry. Adding a bent flange can help reduce this.
  • Tooling marks: Visible on all dimple formed parts and may show through finishing processes like powder coating, anodizing, or plating.
  • Witness marks: May be present even after tumbling and deburring.
    Feature deformation: Holes or features too close to a dimple may distort during forming.
  • Dimensional variation: Dimple height and minor diameter are approximate and may vary based on material and thickness.
  • Finishing impact: Powder coating adds .002″–.005″ per side and may result in tighter fits around dimples.

Additional dimple forming resources

If you’re designing parts for dimple forming, these resources may help:

Pre-flight checklist

  • File is in a format that we accept (2D: .dxf, .dwg, .ai, .eps; 3D: .step or .stp)
  • All holes and cutouts are at least 50% material thickness for laser cut parts
  • All holes and cutouts are no less than 0.070” for most waterjet cut parts
  • All holes and cutouts are no less than 0.125” for all CNC routed parts
  • File is built at a 1:1 scale, preferably in inch or mm units
  • All objects are on the same layer
  • All stray points, duplicate lines, empty objects and text areas have been removed
  • No shapes have open contours
  • All shapes have been united, combined or merged
  • All text has been converted to outlines or paths
  • Cut-out text (reversed text) has bridges or has been stencilized

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Please note: Pricing examples on our website are provided as general estimates and may not always reflect current prices. While we strive to keep these examples accurate, uploading your file is the best way to see instant current pricing.

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