Insulation parts to drawing are custom stamped, cut and formed parts from insulating material made exactly to your CAD drawing or physical sample. You send geometry, material and tolerances, GOBA delivers the finished part, from a single prototype to high-volume series. Three inputs decide how fast and how solid the quote is: the contour as a vector file, the material with thickness and thermal class, and the dimension-critical tolerances. Supply those cleanly and you often have a technical quote the same day and a sample in hand a few days later.
From drawing to insulation part
The route starts with your contour and ends with an inspected part. In between lie feasibility check, material choice, process decision and sampling. GOBA works from a finished 2D drawing as well as from a physical sample that we digitise into a contour. For a slot insulation part in Nomex, for instance, it is not only the outline that counts, but the fibre direction of the paper, the position of the fold lines and the edge quality at the cut. These details decide whether the part seats in the winding or tears during insertion.
The earlier design and manufacturing talk, the cheaper the part. A radius that comes out 0.2 mm larger sometimes saves an expensive precision tool. That is why GOBA checks every drawing for manufacturable geometry before quoting a price.
What data and file formats are needed
A quote is only as precise as its input. For a solid technical quote GOBA needs:
- The contour as a vector file, ideally DXF or DWG, or STEP for 3D formed parts.
- Material with type and thickness, such as Nomex 410 at 0.25 mm or pressboard at 0.5 mm.
- Tolerances for the dimension-critical edges and holes, the rest to general tolerance.
- Quantity per lot and the expected annual volume for the process choice.
- Notes on bends, embossing, adhesive layer or marking, if required.
A PDF is fine for the first review, but for manufacturing GOBA needs the dimensioned vector contour. If the thickness or material type is missing, GOBA asks rather than guesses. If you are unsure about the material, our overview of material thickness is a good start on which gauge suits which application.
Achievable manufacturing tolerances
Insulating materials are not metals. Paper, vulcanised fibre and films absorb moisture, expand thermally and spring back slightly after stamping. So realistic tolerances are wider than in machining. GOBA works to DIN ISO 2768, usually tolerance class m for standard parts. For a stamped Nomex part with a 50 mm edge length that means roughly ± 0.3 mm, and less with tighter requirements and the right tool.
Anyone demanding a hole at ± 0.05 mm should check the reason. With a swelling insulating material, room humidity alone shifts the dimension more than that tolerance. It is smarter to tolerance only the truly function-critical dimensions tightly and leave the rest generous. That noticeably lowers tooling and inspection cost. GOBA advises concretely which tolerance the material and the process reliably hold.
Sampling process and approval
Before the series comes the sample. GOBA produces an approval sample that you check in your real assembly: does the part fit the slot, does the hole seat, does the edge fray on insertion. Only after your written approval does the series start. The flow in four steps:
- Send drawing or sample with material, tolerances and quantity to GOBA.
- GOBA checks feasibility and process and prepares a technical quote.
- Sample production, often within a few days for tool-free processes.
- Your approval of the sample, then series start with documented first-article inspection.
For a formed part with a bend, GOBA checks the minimum bending radius in the sample so the material does not crack or delaminate at the edge.
Scaling from prototype to series
A prototype and a series of 100,000 pieces rarely need the same process. GOBA picks the route by quantity so you run economically in every phase. For first samples and small series GOBA cuts tool-free, by roll slitting or kiss-cut, or stamps with simple strip tools. As the volume grows, a full-cut tool pays off, ejecting a complete stamped part per stroke. That keeps the prototype affordable and makes the series cheap per piece.
It matters to keep the material constant across all phases. Testing pressboard in the prototype and switching to Nomex in the series risks different spring-back and different dimensions. GOBA therefore fixes the material early and documents it.
Tooling cost and lot sizes
A stamping tool is a one-off cost and pays off over the series. Whether it is worth it depends on annual volume and geometry. These rules of thumb help place it:
- Single parts and prototypes: cut or laser tool-free, no tool needed.
- Small series up to a few thousand: strip or contour tool, moderate tooling cost.
- Large series: full-cut or progressive tool, higher tooling cost, low unit price.
The question of tool or no tool is ultimately a full-cost calculation, not a unit-price one. If you want to understand that trade-off in detail, see Make or Buy for insulation parts.
Choosing the process
GOBA picks the process by geometry, material and quantity. Stamping suits flat contours with holes and cut-outs at medium to high volume. Roll slitting delivers long, narrow strips and webs without a tool, ideal for layer and slot insulation material. Kiss-cut severs only the top layer of a self-adhesive laminate and leaves the liner, handy for coverings with an adhesive layer. If the part needs a bend or emboss, the bent parts processes come in. Often GOBA combines several steps, such as stamping and subsequent bending in one process.
GOBA Takeaway
A good insulation part to drawing starts with a clean vector contour, a fixed material and honestly set tolerances. Tolerance only the function-critical dimensions tightly, fix the material early, and you save tooling and inspection cost and get a sample faster. GOBA has produced stamped, cut and formed insulation parts since 1959 and guides you from the first prototype to the series. Send your drawing to our stamping and forming, have custom products made, or clarify bends through our stamped and bent parts. You will receive a technical quote, usually the same day.