Metal Stamping
Metal stamping is a manufacturing process used to convert flat metal sheets into specific shapes. It is a complex process that can include a number of metal forming techniques — blanking, punching, bending and piercing, to name a few. Before the material can be formed, stamping professionals must design the tooling via CAD/CAM engineering technology. These designs must be as precise as possible to ensure each punch and bend maintains proper clearance and, therefore, optimal part quality. A single tool 3D model can contain hundreds of parts, so the design process is often quite complex and time-consuming.
Advantages of Metal Stamping
Cost-Effective
Versatility
Precision
Due to the automation properties of CNC and CAD, metal stamping provides an efficient and accurate fabrication process to deliver precise parts for numerous purposes, including medical equipment and automotive components.After establishing your die, automation means the stamping process becomes more cost-effective compared to other metal machining and fabrication techniques.High-Speed
Metal stamping can help accelerate the manufacture and mass production of high-quality metal products, serving a healthy ROI (Return on investment) for business owners.From intricate small parts to huge industrial components, the various processes available grant this metal fabrication process impressive flexibility.
Metal Stamping Process
1. Punching
The metal stamping machine literally punches the shape from the surrounding material.2. Blanking
Typically followed by further processing, blanking involves cutting out the desired shape from the flat sheet metal material.3. Embossing
Also known as “Pewter work”, embossing involves creating raised and shallow features onto the material.4. Coining
Coining involves indenting a pattern onto the material through compression. The name “coining” stems from the item metal stamping was first used to create.6. Flanging
5. Bending
Bending involves shaping the sheet metal in one direction. Often this process is repeated to create a specific shape.Typically followed by further processing, blanking involves cutting out the desired shape from the flat sheet metal material.