Seven Manufacturing Capabilities. One Indiana Facility. One Point of Contact.
Bristol Tool & Die – Automation integrates custom automated machines, progressive stamping dies, CNC and wire EDM, waterjet cutting, controls and integration, pontoon rail benders, and extrusion fabrication equipment under one roof in Bristol, Indiana. Most regional shops specialize in one or two of these. We built the company to handle all seven because the projects that matter rarely fit neatly inside a single discipline.
Custom Automated Machines
23-station assembly machines, grease stations, shackle-link presses — multi-station production systems engineered for 20+ year service life with 4M+ documented cycles.
Explore →Progressive Stamping Dies
Progressive, transfer, compound, blanking, and draw dies — single-station to 14-station, A2/D2/S7/M2/CPM-10V tool steel, wire EDM punch details to ±.0001″.
Explore →CNC & Wire EDM
Charmilles Robofil wire EDM (×2) to ±.0001″ on hardened tool steel — the precision bench behind every Bristol die, plus die repair and surface grinding. Primarily supports in-house die and automation programs; limited precision and die-repair contract work accepted as capacity allows.
Explore →Waterjet Cutting
OMAX abrasive waterjet — no heat-affected zone on ferrous or non-ferrous stock. Standard tolerance ±.005″. Primarily used in-house to cut structural plates, frames, and brackets for Bristol’s own machine and die builds. Limited contract work accepted.
Explore →Controls & Integration
Allen-Bradley CompactLogix/ControlLogix, FactoryTalk View HMI, Kinetix/Yaskawa servo, SMC/Festo pneumatics, Keyence IV5/Cognex In-Sight vision, safety to ANSI B11 / NFPA 79 / ISO 13849 — engineered in-house, never sub-contracted.
Explore →Pontoon Rail Benders
Hydraulic railing benders for 6061-T6, 6063-T5, and 6005A-T61 aluminum extrusion profiles. The pontoon rail bender platform has been in continuous production for 20+ years, serving five active marine OEMs. We build the bending machines; OEMs weld at their own facilities.
Explore →Extrusion Fabrication Equipment
Machines that fabricate aluminum extrusions — 20/40/60/80/100-ton variants, notch & pierce, cut-off & notching, precise positioning (VFD to servo), feeder systems, CNC drill & tap, brush & surface abrasion. We build the equipment; we are not a fabricator.
Explore →Why integrated capability changes the procurement math
In a typical multi-vendor tooling and automation project touches four or five specialty vendors: a die shop, a machine builder, a controls integrator, a fabricator, and a quality lab. Each one delivers competent work in isolation. The failure mode happens in the seams — tolerance stack-up between vendors, drawing interpretation differences, schedule misalignment when one vendor slips and the rest cannot move.
Bristol Tool & Die – Automation was built to minimize those seams. When the same shop designs the die, machines the precision tooling, cuts the structural components on waterjet, programs the PLC, and integrates the whole system on the floor, the tolerance stack lives inside one engineering team. Most work stays under one roof. The buyer deals with one point of contact and one shop — not a network of vendors passing work between them.
That structural integration is why a 23-station assembly machine we built has run past four million cycles in continuous production. It is why a hydraulic railing bender platform we designed has produced pontoon railings for five active marine OEMs for 20+ years. It is why the same conversation with a buyer covers progressive die design, CNC component manufacturing, and controls in the same hour without anyone leaving the room.
How buyers typically engage each capability
Custom Automated Machines
The buyer has a part they make today by hand, by sub-vendor, or by an aging legacy machine that is end-of-life. They need a multi-station system that produces the part inside takt, with documented repeatability, and that will still be in service a decade from now. Typical scope: $150K–$750K, six to ten month lead.
Progressive Stamping Dies
The buyer has a sheet-metal part forecast at 50,000–5,000,000 pieces per year. They need a die that holds dimensional accuracy across a long production run, that can be repaired or modified locally without shipping back to a coastal die shop, and that fits their stamping press. Typical scope: $25K–$200K, 8–20 week lead.
CNC & Wire EDM
Wire EDM and CNC run primarily in support of Bristol’s die and automation programs — holding punch and die details to ±.0001″, surface grinding to restore worn components, and supporting die repair when a progressive or compound die needs a station rebuilt. Die repair and limited precision contract work are accepted as capacity allows. Wire EDM is not positioned as a high-volume standalone contract service.
Waterjet Cutting
Waterjet runs primarily as an in-house supporting capability — cutting structural plates, frame components, brackets, and cover panels for Bristol’s own machine and die builds. Limited contract waterjet work is accepted when schedule allows. OMAX abrasive waterjet, no heat-affected zone, standard tolerance ±.005″.
Controls & Integration
Every automated machine Bristol builds includes PLC programming, sensor selection, safety circuit design, HMI development, and field wiring. We work in Allen-Bradley, Siemens, and other common platforms. Controls is rarely sold standalone — it is the discipline that makes everything else work as a system.
Pontoon Rail Benders
The buyer is a pontoon or marine OEM that needs a hydraulic machine to bend aluminum extrusion railings consistently and cleanly, without chatter marks or scuffing on visible surfaces. Bristol designs and builds the bending machine. The OEM welds the railings at their own facility. The pontoon rail bender platform has served five active marine OEMs for 20+ years. Materials: 6061-T6, 6063-T5, 6005A-T61.
Extrusion Fabrication Equipment
The buyer designs or produces aluminum extrusion profiles and needs the downstream processing equipment — machines that notch, pierce, cut to length, drill, tap, position, and feed extrusions through a production sequence. Bristol builds the processing machines; Bristol is not a fabricator and does not make extrusion profile dies. Tonnage variants: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 ton.
We also do
Two capabilities that are real service offerings and regularly requested — currently integrated into our machine and die work but worth calling out explicitly:
Repair & Refurbish
We repair and refurbish worn custom machinery and stamping dies. Using advanced technology we help reduce the need for new equipment and provide performance and savings improvements. Covers process equipment, mechanical machines, assembly machines, test equipment, and single-hit or progressive stamping dies. See the Custom Automated Machines and Stamping Dies pages for full detail.
Jigs & Fixtures
Our team of expert designers and machinists have been creating quality fixtures and jigs for over 25 years. Assembly holding fixtures, drill jigs, weld jigs, and dimensional check fixtures. See the Custom Automated Machines page for full detail.
Frequently Asked Questions — Capabilities
Direct answers to the questions buyers, engineers, and procurement teams ask before they pick up the phone.
What capabilities does Bristol Tool & Die – Automation offer under one roof?
Bristol Tool & Die – Automation provides seven integrated capabilities at our 689 Commerce Drive facility in Bristol, Indiana: custom automated machine design and build, progressive stamping dies, CNC machining and wire EDM precision parts, abrasive waterjet cutting, controls and PLC integration, hydraulic pontoon rail benders, and extrusion fabrication equipment. All seven capabilities operate inside the same plant, with the same quality discipline.
We also perform Repair & Refurbish of worn custom machinery and stamping dies, and Jigs & Fixtures design and fabrication — 25 years of creating assembly holding fixtures, drill jigs, weld jigs, and dimensional check fixtures.
The integrated model is the differentiator. Most regional shops specialize in one or two of these — we built the company around handling the entire scope, so one shop and one point of contact owns the build from concept through runoff.
Why does combining capabilities under one shop matter for a buyer?
When stamping dies, CNC parts, waterjet components, and controls are produced and integrated in one facility, the buyer reduces vendor coordination overhead. Most work stays under one roof, with deliberate handoffs only where needed.
That addresses the most common failure mode in custom tooling and automation projects: parts that meet individual specs but do not assemble correctly because they were built to different interpretations of the same drawing. One shop owns the tolerance stack-up, the fit-up, and the runoff. The buyer deals with one purchase order and one phone number.
What size and scope of projects does Bristol typically handle?
Typical custom automation builds range from $150,000 to $750,000, with select programs above that range. Progressive stamping die builds typically run $25,000 to $200,000 depending on station count and complexity.
Wire EDM, CNC, and waterjet run primarily in support of Bristol’s die and automation programs. Die repair and limited precision contract work are accepted as capacity allows. We work most efficiently in the high-mix, mid-volume zone where dedicated automation pays back inside three to five years.
How does Bristol deliver quality?
Quality at Bristol Tool & Die – Automation is governed by:
- Documented internal process for design review, build, inspection, and acceptance
- First-article inspection on every new part and die station
- Runoff acceptance criteria signed by the customer before parts or machines ship
- A 25-year continuity record measured on the shop floor: parts in service for two decades, automation systems past 4 million cycles still running
Which capability should I start with if I'm not sure what I need?
Most buyers start by describing the problem rather than the solution: the part they need produced, the volume, the tolerance, and the timeline. From that description, our engineering team identifies which capabilities apply — often it's a combination — and quotes the integrated scope.
Start with the Request a Quote form, a phone call to 574-848-5354.
Ready to discuss your project?
Tell us your part, your volume, and your timeline. We’ll respond within one business day with a clear next step.