Before Tooling Cut: Stamped Electrical Terminals Supplier Audit Checklist

A single missing burr specification on your terminal drawing — one line unchecked — can trigger PPAP rejection and an eight-week tooling delay.

In this checklist, you will verify DFM sign-off items, material certifications, process capability documentation, and compliance readiness before the tool steel is cut.

Go through the full audit.

DFM Sign-off

• Verify the flat blank layout matches the strip carrier design and confirms material utilization above 70 percent.
• Confirm minimum bend radii meet or exceed 1× material thickness for the selected copper alloy.
• Review springback compensation in the die design for any bend angle exceeding 30 degrees.
• Check that material grain direction runs parallel to the bend axis on all formed features.
• Validate pitch accuracy tolerance of ± 0.02 mm across the full progressive strip.
• Confirm all critical-to-function dimensions are flagged on the drawing with SPC monitoring requirements.
• Audit the progressive die toolingstrip layout for pilot hole positioning and carrier web width adequacy.
• Ensure the terminal contact zone geometry avoids sharp edge transitions that create stress risers under insertion force.

[Gate Condition]: Do not proceed to tooling prep until the flat blank layout, bend radii, and springback compensation have been signed off by both the design and tooling teams.

Material Prep

• Confirm the specified copper alloy grade — C11000, C26000, C51000, or C17200 — matches the application temperature range and current rating.
• Verify material thickness tolerance of ± 0.005 mm on the mill certificate against your drawing requirement.
• Audit heat number traceability from the coil certificate through to the reeler log and the first-article inspection report.
• Confirm that the tool steel — carbide or high-speed steel — meets the hardness specification for the expected production volume.
• Review the lubrication strategy and confirm the supplier has specified the lubricant type, application method, and replenishment interval.
• Validate that the strip straightener is calibrated to deliver material flatness within 0.05 mm per 100 mm of strip width.
• Ensure the scrap management plan accounts for slug pulling prevention and carrier web disposal at the target SPM rate.
• Confirm tin plating or alternative finish — gold, silver, or nickel — is specified with thickness, coverage zone, and post-plating anneal requirements.

[Gate Condition]: Do not proceed to QA readiness until all material certifications — including heat number traceability and plating specification — are on file and verified against the drawing.

QA Readiness

• Confirm the supplier provides a Cpk capability study report — not just a compliance letter — for all critical-to-function dimensions.
• Verify burr height limits are on the drawing and the inspection plan specifies measurement at five locations per strip.
• Audit the in-die or offline vision inspection system to confirm it detects dimensional drift, burr formation, and missing features.
• Confirm that the supplier performs JESD201-compliant post-plating annealing at 150°C within 24 hours of plating.
• Validate that XRF plating thickness mapping covers the contact zone, the bend radius, and the crimp barrel — three zones minimum per strip.
• Review the PPAP submission package to confirm Level 3 documentation includes the PFMEA, control plan, and dimensional layout report.
• Ensure the stamped electrical terminals inspection plan references the relevant testing standards — IEC 60512, EIA-364, or MIL-STD-1344 — as applicable.
• Confirm that the packaging specification prevents terminal-to-terminal contact during shipping to avoid plating abrasion.

[Gate Condition]: Do not issue the purchase order until all QA documentation — including Cpk reports, burr height data, plating thickness maps, and PPAP Level 3 — has been reviewed and approved.

Audit to PO

Skipping one audit phase is enough to fail PPAP and trigger an eight-week tooling delay. Kravzik runs this audit on every terminal program before tool steel is cut, with in-house progressive die tooling, SPC-driven Cpk monitoring, and full JESD201 anneal compliance — verified, not assumed.

Send us your terminal drawing for a complete DFM audit with tooling cost transparency and compliance verification, delivered within 48 hours.