Cameron Tool builds progressive, transfer, compound, and line dies for the full range of automotive, defense, consumer products, and industrial stamping programs. From first design review through final tryout sign-off, the same team builds, machines, assembles, and validates your tooling under one roof. No fragmented vendor chain. No accountability gaps
Cameron Tool has been building progressive dies, transfer dies, and line dies for automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, defense contractors, and industrial manufacturers across Michigan and the Midwest since 1966. In that time the core model has not changed: design, machine, build, tryout, and repair all stay in-house, handled by one accountable team, to the same ISO 9001:2015 standard.
Most shops that claim full-service die construction are actually coordinating between multiple vendors. Design work goes to one location. Machined components come from a second shop. Tryout happens at a press facility that may or may not prioritize your die. When something goes wrong, no single party owns the problem. That model creates accountability gaps that show up as delays, rework, and costs your production floor absorbs.
Cameron Tool eliminates those gaps. When you bring a progressive die program here, one project team owns it from strip layout simulation through production part approval. Our designers, machinists, die makers, and tryout staff share the same building. If an issue surfaces in tryout, the engineer who designed the die is twenty feet away. Problems get resolved in hours, not weeks.
Die Construction Our die construction capability covers progressive, transfer, compound, and line dies for the full range of materials and geometries that automotive and industrial stamping programs demand. We build in cold roll, hot roll, galvanized, aluminum, stainless steel, and high-strength alloys, and finishing handled in the same building as the machining. The transition from design to steel is direct and collaborative rather than transactional.
In-House Machining of Die Components Our machine department produces all die components in-house using our CNC machining floor, 3 Charmilles wire EDM machines, and precision hand-fitting by skilled die makers. We do not source die details from outside vendors for standard programs. Components machined here go directly to our die makers for fitting and assembly, keeping tolerances tight and lead times predictable. Our 6 detail mills and G&L and FPT Boring Mills handle large-format die components that most shops cannot machine in-house.
Large Format Die Construction Bay Our 20,000 sq. ft. addition houses a dedicated large format die construction bay with the 2,250-ton Bliss press, rolling bolster, and 65-81" shut height. For large progressive and transfer die programs that require tooling too big for a standard construction floor, this bay was purpose-built to handle them. Programs that require large-bed construction and in-house tryout on the same press remain entirely within our facility.
ISO 9001:2015 Quality System Every die we build is documented through structured design reviews, inspection at critical build stages, and formal tryout sign-off before it ships. Our ISO 9001:2015-certified quality system governs the entire construction process. For automotive OEM programs that require PPAP, our process supports the full qualification sequence from first article through production part approval submission.
Ford Q1 and OEM Program Support Cameron Tool is a Ford Q1 Award recipient with active die construction programs across automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in Michigan and the broader Midwest. Our program managers work directly with your engineering and purchasing teams, maintain documentation on your schedule, and keep you informed throughout the build without requiring you to chase status updates.
Cameron Tool builds tooling for metal stamping operations running the full range of industrial materials. Progressive dies for high-volume multi-station stamping programs where blank to finished part happens in a single die and press cycle. Transfer dies for large structural components that require individual station handling with part transfer between stations. Compound dies for simultaneous blanking and forming operations. Line dies for large automotive body panels and structural programs where part size exceeds what a progressive die can handle.
Materials we build for include cold roll and hot roll steel, galvanized, aluminum, stainless steel, high-strength steel, and advanced high-strength alloys. Our die makers understand how material behavior changes across alloy families, gauges, and forming conditions, and we design and build tooling to account for those differences rather than discovering them at tryout.
Our construction process is backed by 60+ years of production stamping experience at the same facility. The die makers, machinists, and engineers building your tooling have built hundreds of programs for the same automotive customers you are supplying. That experience shows up in first-off part quality, tryout cycle length, and tool life over the production run.
Progressive, transfer, and line die construction for automotive body panels, structural components, chassis parts, and powertrain stampings. Ford Q1 certified. ISO 9001:2015. Active programs across Michigan serving OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
Cameron Tool is located at 1800 Bassett Ave in Lansing, Michigan, at the center of the automotive manufacturing corridor that runs from Detroit through the greater Lansing area and into western Michigan. We have been building progressive dies for this market since 1966 and our facility, press floor, and people reflect 60+ years of doing this work at an automotive-grade standard.
For customers who need progressive die construction in Michigan with Ford Q1 certification, ISO 9001:2015 quality, in-house tryout capability, and a team that has been building dies for the same automotive customers since 1966, Cameron Tool is the established choice in Lansing. We serve OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers across Michigan with active programs in Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and the surrounding region.
We also work with customers across the Midwest who need a vertically integrated die builder with genuine in-house depth. Whether you are sourcing a new progressive die program, need a die construction partner with large-format capability, or are looking for a Michigan-based backup supplier for your tooling programs, we are easy to reach and respond quickly.
Whether you need a new progressive die built to automotive OEM standards, a transfer die for a complex structural component program, or a die construction partner in Michigan you can rely on for the long term, tell us what you are working on. New construction programs typically get a preliminary response within 48 hours.