The low-cost, high-speed, high precision manufacturing processes associated with metal stamping involve the application of diverse techniques, such as:
The blanking process involves the removal of a workpiece from primary material to create the desired form. Unlike punching, the removed workpiece becomes the desired shape or blank.
This technique refers to the use of a die and a punch to cut sheet metal into the required form. During punching, the punch enters the material attached to the die and dispels pieces of metal to create the desired form in the remaining workpiece.
This technique involves the placement of the material between a die and a press or punch. The material is squeezed with extreme force during the press stroke to generate fine features and tolerances on the surfaces of parts.
Bending refers to processes that form sheet metal into desired bent shapes, which are generally the L, U, or V-shapes. The bending process is applied above the material’s yield point and around a single axis to form the desired shape.
The flanging process involves the use of a die and a flange or flares produced by a flanging tooling section on a workpiece. The flange portion of the tooling and die form the desired shape in the workpiece.
The drawing and forming stamping process involves the use of compressive force to form sheet metal into a cavity or produce a shaped form by wrapping the workpiece over the desired shape in the die.
The embossing process involves the use of a die and a pressing or stamping machine to apply the shaped die onto the material. The embossed pattern or designed form is then imprinted on the workpiece.
The curling process is used to eliminate sharp edges or form sharp edges into hollow rings according to a specific design. Once performed, curling also increases the moment of inertia at the curled end of the workpiece.
The piercing process involves punching or cutting out holes of closed shapes in a workpiece. The punched-out portion is discarded and the pierced pattern forms the end-use part.
These diverse metal stamping techniques are done individually and can be combined or done in multiple operations to form the intricate parts a project requires. The peculiarities of individual projects are the major determining factors when choosing which metal stamping techniques to apply.
For example, a simple bent design can be developed using bending while intricate tooling sections may combine flanging and piercing or any one of the other techniques outlined above.
Pictured above: An exhaust tip manufactured by The Federal Group.
The different types of metal stamping utilize the diverse techniques that are applied to produce a finished part with high quality standards. There are three major types of metal stamping, and they are – Progressive die stamping, Deep draw stamping, and Fourslide stamping.
With progressive stamping (also referred to as prog die stamping), we move strip metal through a progressive stamping press, where it passes from one station to the next. Each station performs a specific function, including forming, punching, bending, and cutting the metal.
In most cases, progressive stamping requires the use of multiple stations or stages, especially when a project involves complex parts. Progressive stamping offers the advantages of a quick turnaround and the creation of repeated, uniform pieces. It also has the lowest labor cost for each stamping type.
Deep drawing is a technique that uses a punch to feed a blank into a die. It works best for projects in which a customer needs extreme depths on the part shape. Generally, parts with sweeping and deep shapes are used in the Automotive and Aerospace Industries. Deep drawing uses less raw material than other stamping processes. It also works well for producing less-complicated pieces at high volume.
Fourslide stamping is a metalworking process that simplifies the creation of complex parts. It uses four tools that each bend the metal into the required shape simultaneously. While fourslide stamping doesn’t create pieces with as much uniformity as progressive stamping, it makes changing or adjusting the design easier when a project requires many parts with different bends.
Metal stamping is a popular manufacturing process for developing parts with tight tolerances using sheet metal, like steel, copper, stainless steel, and aluminum. You can take advantage of metal stamping to manufacture products across diverse industries such as:
Pictured above: A chair leg cup manufactured by The Federal Group.
A few factors play important roles in determining the correct metal stamping process and techniques to use. These factors include the manufacturing budget, shape and size of the manufactured part, production speed, quality, and production volume. Table 1 below can help you in making the right choice:
Table 1: Types of Metal Stamping Types of Metal Stamping Quality of Produced Item Production Speed Best Use Case Scenarios Progressive Stamping Produces high-quality parts of intricate designs. Relatively quick when compared to other manufacturing processes. For producing complex patterns in the automotive, aerospace, defense, and home-appliance industries.Used for low to large-volume manufacturing.
Fourslide Stamping Produces items with less uniformity and precision compared to progressive stamping. A quicker production process when compared to progressive stamping. For producing domestic or home-appliance items, agricultural parts, and spare parts.Supports mid to large-volume production runs.
Deep Draw Stamping Produces items with average quality and precision requirements. A quick production process that is faster than the others. Uses less material than the others and is applied in the automotive, aerospace, and home-appliance industries.Supports low to mid-volume production runs.
The table above does not account for the different scenarios every manufacturer faces when looking to apply metal stamping to develop quality stamping parts. In scenarios where your requirements are specific to your company and your industry’s standards, regulations, and needs, speaking with one of our Sales Engineers to help you with your project becomes the only decision to make.
The Federal Group USA custom metal stamping services include:
Pictured above: A water fountain reservoir manufactured by The Federal Group.
At The Federal Group USA, fulfilling your metal stamping parts requirements is important to us. These requirements may vary from simplistic projects to creating intricate components for your light and heavy types of machinery.
Whatever your industry-specific case may be, our metal stamping services are designed to optimize the production of the parts you need to meet your organization’s goals.
Get started with metal stamping by speaking to a Sales Engineer today.