What is sheet metal stamping?

Introduction

With the continuous development of social progress, in the modern sheet metal processing industry, metal stamping technology can be said to be rich and colorful.

Sheet metal stamping is one of the core steps in sheet metal manufacturing. In the sheet metal manufacturing industry, in addition to the cutting and shearing processes mentioned in the previous two articles,  Almost all sheet metal parts with complex structures are inseparable from sheet metal stamping technology.

Next, let us understand the relevant knowledge about sheet metal stamping from the following perspectives. If you are interested in sheet metal fabrication, then this article will bring you a lot of gains.

What is sheet metal stamping?

Sheet metal stamping is a complex metal processing technology. It refers to using specific stamping equipment to insert the flat plate (sheet metal raw material) into the desired shape. This process involves a variety of metal-forming technologies, such as blanking, punching, bending, and perforating.

How does sheet metal stamping work?

The basic principle of sheet metal stamping is to use a stamping die installed on a press (such as a punch press) to apply external force to the sheet to cause it to plastically deform or separate, thereby obtaining a stamped workpiece of the desired shape and size.

The main equipment for sheet metal stamping is the press and the die. The press provides the necessary pressure, and the die defines the final shape of the workpiece.

The material properties that need to be paid attention to during the stamping process include the thickness, strength, toughness, etc. of the material, which directly affect the stamping effect and the quality of the workpiece.

What are the types of sheet metal stamping?

Metal stamping is a common manufacturing technology used to produce large quantities of stamped metal parts. It is mainly divided into the following types: progressive stamping, four-slide stamping, deep stamping, piercing, blanking, drawing, forging, and fine stamping.

‌Progressive stamping‌: This is a step-by-step manufacturing process using special dies. Each station of progressive die stamping has a unique function. Its workflow is to feed strip metal into the progressive stamping machine.

As the strip is steadily unwound from the coil and enters the die press, each station in the tool performs a different cutting, punching, or bending operation. The actions of each consecutive station are added to the work of the previous station to form a complete part.

‌Four-slide stamping‌: Four-slide stamping is also called multi-slide or four-way stamping. In the actual stamping process, different sliding tools are installed on each slide, so that the slide tools can be controlled to form the workpiece at the same time.

The advantages of this processing technology are low production costs and fast production speeds, and it is suitable for processing complex parts.

‌Deep stamping‌: Metal deep stamping refers to the process of feeding metal sheet materials into a specific die through the strong pressure of the punch to form it. It is suitable for making parts with greater depth.

Blanking: ‌blanking is one of the most basic forms of metal stamping. A punching tool is used to punch holes in a metal plate. When the hole is formed, the material around the hole is discarded.‌

‌Punching‌: Punching is similar to ‌blanking, but the punched parts are not discarded but are finished products. Punching technology is often used as the first stage of metal stamping. ‌

Drawing‌: Drawing is to fix the two ends of the metal plate and deform it through the tensile force of the die to match the cross-section of the die to form a cup-shaped product.

‌Forging‌: Forging is the process of stamping small pieces of metal into the desired shape. This manufacturing technology consumes a relatively high time cost, but it is often used in some special fields.

‌Fine blanking‌: Fine blanking is also called fine edge blanking. This process is usually completed on a hydraulic or mechanical press. With the help of the strong pressure of the press, the workpiece is processed. This processing technology is suitable for parts with high precision and smooth edges.

What raw materials can be stamped by sheet metal stamping?

In actual sheet metal manufacturing, sheet metal stamping can be stamped on a variety of thin metal materials, including steel plates, aluminum plates, copper plates, etc. ‌ These materials usually need to be cut, bent, flipped, etc. before stamping to facilitate subsequent stamping operations.

The specific types of raw materials and their characteristics are as follows:

‌Steel plate‌: In the field of electronic products and home appliances, steel plate materials with excellent corrosion resistance and decorative appearance are usually required for processing. The most commonly used steel plate materials are SECC (electro-galvanized steel plate) SGCC (hot-dip galvanized steel plate) and other types of steel plates.

‌Aluminum plate‌: For sheet metal parts that need to be lightweight, aluminum alloy plates with lightweight and corrosion resistance are the best choice.

‌Copperplate: In sheet metal stamping, copper plates are often used to make connectors and heat dissipation components of electronic products because of their good electrical and thermal conductivity.

What factors affect the accuracy of sheet metal stamping?

‌Sheet metal stamping accuracy is affected by many factors, including machine tool deflection, material properties, mold manufacturing accuracy, operating skills, etc. ‌These factors work together to directly affect the quality and accuracy of sheet metal stamping parts.

First, machine tool deflection is an important factor. The machine tool will bend under uneven load, resulting in displacement and angle errors in the workpiece during the stamping process. For example, the deflection of the machine tool will reduce the actual displacement of the slider in proportion to the length of the workpiece, resulting in the middle angle being greater than the angle at both ends, thus affecting the dimensional accuracy. ‌

Secondly, material properties also have a significant impact on stamping accuracy. The surface quality, thickness uniformity, and elastic recovery properties of the material will affect the quality of the stamping parts.

If there are scratches on the surface of the material, it will cause stress concentration and increase the risk of corrosion, which may cause fracture during the stamping process. In addition, the thickness tolerance of the sheet will also affect the stamping forming effect, and uneven thickness will lead to inaccurate shape of the stamping parts.

Mold manufacturing accuracy is also a key factor. The manufacturing accuracy of the die, the gap between the dies, and the performance recovery of the material after stamping will directly affect the accuracy of the stamped parts. An improper gap between the dies will cause the workpiece to deform during the stamping process, and the low manufacturing accuracy of the die will directly affect the overall quality of the stamped parts.

Finally, operating skills and environmental factors cannot be ignored. The skill level of the operator, the positioning accuracy during the operation, and environmental factors (such as temperature and humidity) will affect the stamping accuracy.

What are the application fields of sheet metal stamping?

‌The application fields of sheet metal stamping are very wide, mainly including automobile manufacturing, electronic and electrical industry, aerospace industry, instrumentation industry, construction engineering, communication equipment, and other fields. ‌

In the automobile manufacturing industry, sheet metal stamping technology is widely used in the production of automobile bodies, chassis, fuel tanks, radiators, and other parts.

In the electronic and electrical industry, sheet metal stamping is used to produce housings, brackets, and other parts of various electronic equipment.

The aerospace industry is also an important application field of sheet metal stamping.

In addition, sheet metal stamping is also used in many fields such as instrumentation, construction engineering, and communication equipment. The housings and components in instruments, metal components in buildings, and various metal components in communication equipment are widely produced using sheet metal stamping technology.

What role does the mold play in metal stamping?

The role of the mold in metal stamping mainly includes the following aspects:

1. Improve processing efficiency. Compared with traditional manual or semi-automatic production methods, stamping molds can quickly and efficiently complete mass production, significantly improving production efficiency.

2. Save materials. By accurately controlling the amount of materials, waste is avoided, meeting modern environmental protection requirements.

3. Ensure product quality. The mold can accurately control the shape and size of the product, ensure the consistency of product quality, and improve the stability and reliability of the product.

4. Reduce production costs. Although the initial cost of mold making and maintenance is high, as the number of uses increases, the unit product cost gradually decreases, reducing the overall production cost.

5. Adapt to a variety of working conditions and process requirements. By replacing or adjusting the mold structure, stamping parts of various shapes and sizes can be processed to meet the needs of different product processing.

What types of dies are used in metal stamping?

In sheet metal stamping, due to the wide range of materials and the customization of the shape and precision of sheet metal parts, different processes and requirements are used. Different process characteristics also require different types of dies. The following are the main categories in several metal stamping processes:

‌Punching die‌: A die that separates materials along a closed or open contour, such as a blanking die, a punching die, a cutting die, a notching die, a trimming die, a cutting die, etc.

‌Bending die‌: A die that bends and deforms a sheet metal blank along a straight line to obtain a workpiece with a certain angle and shape.

‌Drawing die‌: A die that makes a sheet metal blank into an open hollow part, or further changes the shape and size of a hollow part.

‌Forming die‌: A die that directly copies and forms a blank or semi-finished workpiece according to the shape of the convex and concave dies, and the material itself only undergoes local plastic deformation, such as a bulging die, a shrinking die, etc.

‌Compound die‌A die that can complete several stamping processes in sequence in one stamping.

‌Progressive die‌: Also known as a continuous die, a die that completes two or more processes in a certain order at different parts in one stamping.

‌Single process dies: A die that only completes one stamping process in one die, such as a blanking die, punching die, bending die, etc., which is suitable for occasions with small production batches or trial production of new products.

What processes are used in metal stamping?

The combination of metal stamping processes is very flexible and can be adjusted according to specific product requirements. For example, in automobile manufacturing, stamping, welding, painting, and assembly are the four major processes, among which stamping, as an important link, affects the quality of subsequent processes.

Do you provide sheet metal stamping services?

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Conclusion

In this article, we have conducted an in-depth discussion on sheet metal stamping technology. If you are lucky enough to read this, I believe you will have a deeper understanding of metal stamping. If you want to know more about the exciting content of the manufacturing industry, please pay attention to our blog news. We will update the blog from time to time so that you can easily get more exciting content.