Metal stamping dies is a process in which a tool, called punch enters into the workpiece and leaves a hole in it by removing the slug from the metal. The hole can be of any size and shape. Metals that are mostly punched are aluminum, Galvanized Steel, copper, zinc, titanium among others. The tool used for the metal punch tooling can be manual or CNC controlled.
The metal stamping machine consists of two parts named, die and punch. There is the clearance between die and punch so that the punch could not stab the die. The amount of clearance depends on the thickness and hardness of the material to be punched.
Metal punch tooling process
In this process, the flat metal is placed between the die and the punch. The punch enters into the surface of the metal and exerts a force on it. When force overwhelms the tensile strength of the metal, the metal breaks and a hole is created in it. then, the punch is pulled back from the metal. The slag obtained from the hole is removed from the punched part and collected into a container. This slag may be recycled or used for other purposes.
The level of pressure which the punch exerts on the metal depends on the type and thickness of that metal. The rule is to use the punch having pitch not less than two times the thickness of the metal to be punched. The selection of the punching machine is an important decision. The punch having appropriate and quality material should is selected for this purpose. A variety of machines are available ranging from manual punches to hydraulic automatic punching machines.
CNC programs have automated the entire process, so, the whole system is operating on commands. There are specific commands for each shape and for each type of movement. When tooling complete its operation on one coordinate it automatically moves to the next coordinate. This process is extremely quick, therefore, a large quantity of metal can be punched in a short time period.
Advantages of metal stamping tooling are the following:
- It is a quick process.
- The scrap obtained from the punching process can be reused or recycled.
- It creates holes in different shapes and sizes.
- If the same type of metal punch parts is to be prepared, then punch metal tooling is the most appropriate method.
- It is sometimes a very cost-effective process for medium and high volume production processes.
- Metal punch tooling has its applications in many industries including aerospace, construction, and electronics industry for the processing of metal foils and punching of metal profiles into metal sheets.
Conclusion Metal punching is a process in which holes of different sizes and shapes are created in the metals. The punches used for his process can be manual or hydraulic automatic punching machines. CNC has computerized the whole process and all the work can be done with the help of commands given to the computer. Metal punch tooling has its applications in many industries including aerospace, construction, and electronics industry.