Tooling is the battle-worn interface between machine and material, and we forge ours for the fight. Using premium tool steels like A2 for toughness and D2 for enduring sharpness, we harden every component though meticulous in-house heat treatment to ensure minimum warping and maximum performance.
Leveraging EDM, CNC, and precision lathe work. Since 1974, tooling has been our craft and our calling. Precision craftsmanship and ever-expanding machining capacity form the backbone of our capabilities.
We engineer smarter tooling solutions — from full-system designs to seamless retrofits for existing machinery.
Custom Tooling Design
We engineer custom tooling solutions using SolidWorks and Mastercam, combining practical experience with the latest CAD/CAM technology.
Whether you need a complete top-down design — a fully integrated machine with custom tooling — or specialized tooling to retrofit and upgrade your existing equipment, we deliver solutions that fit, perform, and last.
Our focus is on improving uptime, simplifying changeovers, and extending tool life — helping your operation run faster, cleaner, and more reliably.
Our tooling business connects with much of the other work we do in custom machines, tube sizers, tube punches, fixtures and more. To see our tooling in action on those machines, check out our youtube channel.
Most tooling is made from the highest quality hardened steel, because “tooling” is a loose term often used to refer to the business end of any bit of equipment, where the most wear and tear happens. These steels, known as tool steels, come in a wide range of grades and classes. A2 tool steel is very tough, for example, while D2 holds a great edge. Toolmakers heat-treat their tool steel after machining it to shape in order to harden it. Something new designers often must learn is that heat treating warps the shape of a steel – and the less blocky the object, the more it warps. That’s why tooling often (but not always) has a blocky look to it.
At West Salem Tool we do our heat-treating in house to reduce lead times.