WHAT IS METAL STAMPING?

Metal stamping is a metalworking process that employs tool and die sets and specialized presses to form metal sheets and coils into net shapes. It is a cold working manufacturing method, meaning it typically creates the desired parts and products from room temperature materials in room temperature conditions.

Compared to other manufacturing methods, metal stamping offers a number of advantages. For example:

· It produces strong and durable components that conform to tight tolerances.

· It allows for quick and cost-effective production of identical pieces in high volumes.

· It utilizes tooling made from durable materials, which enables them to withstand thousands of cycles without sustaining excess wear.

The process encompasses a variety of metal forming operations, such as:

· Bending: This stamping process forms bends and/or curves in the component.

· Blanking: This stamping process cuts the component from the larger piece of metal.

· Coining: This stamping process creates fine details on the surface of the component.

· Embossing: This stamping process creates raised or recessed patterns or designs on the surface of the component.

· Flanging: This stamping process creates flanges on the ends of the component.

· Punching: This stamping process forms holes in the component.

· Extruding: This stamping process draws material into a punched hole to create a circular flange

· Drawing: This stamping process pulls or stretches material into shapes that wouldn’t normally be formed without wrinkling of the material

These operations may shape the material (e.g., bending) or trim, cut, or bore the component. Many stamping projects combine multiple stamping operations into a single cycle to increase production efficiency and, consequently, decrease production costs.  

TYPES OF METAL STAMPING METHODS

Two of the primary metal stamping operations are: single hit and progressive die operations.

· Single-hit dies are typically less expensive and smaller but require interaction with the die and press for each single operation or stroke to be completed. The dies can have one station or multiple but an operator puts in a blank or moves the parts from station to station and presses palm buttons after each move to stroke the press and hit the part or parts in each station.  This can be automated to transfer the blanks or parts between stations but the blanks and parts are independent of each other.

· Progressive dies have a series of stations in one die through which coils of steel or strips are fed automatically from which a complete part typically comes out after being processed through all stations in the die.  The press strokes automatically and a feeder advances the material with each stroke.  You can watch the part go through all the stations and become a completed part which exits the die onto a chute or conveyor typically.

Single hit dies run slower than progressive dies but can sometimes produce features that are difficult if not impossible in a progressive die and can be very expensive, however progressive dies are fast and very consistent to reduce cost and improve repeatability.