Metal Stamping
Metal stamping is one of the cheapest and most versatile techniques
for
making large volumes of identical metal parts. In the stamping
process,
sheets of metal are formed by a die in a press that molds the metal
to
the desired shape. Stamping is most commonly used for manufacturing
parts made of steel, aluminum, nickel, zinc, and titanium.
Stamping Operations
The following are the main stamping operations. Note that
operations are often combined:
- Blanking
- In blanking the basic flat shape of the
part is stamped from the sheet metal material.
- Piercing
- Piercing is the process by which internal holes
are made the part.
- Forming
- Forming operations can bend the part into
complex shapes, but without any change in thickness of the metal.
- Drawing
- Drawing stretches the metal to form compound
curves. Drawing is often used to form round shapes such as caps.
- Deburring
- After stamping sheet metal parts are usually
deburred in a tumbler to remove sharp edges and burrs.
Design Guidelines
When designing your stamped parts abide by the following
guidelines when possible:
- Avoid narrow strips as they will distort easily during
production.
- Avoid placing holes too closely as it can result in distortion.
- Corners should be rounded where possible.
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