Longsheng

As an important plastic processing method, metal stamping is widely used in automobiles, aerospace, electronics, home appliances and other fields. It uses the up and down impact motion of the punch and the pressing action of the mold to deform the metal sheet under force, thereby obtaining the workpiece of the required shape and size. However, the successful implementation of metal stamping relies on a number of critical design and engineering considerations. This article will explore in detail What are thekey design and engineering considerations for metal stamping? In order to provide reference for engineers and designers in related fields.

What is the Metal Stamping Process?

1. Material preparation:Select appropriate metal sheets as raw materialsand perform preprocessing as needed, such as cutting, cleaning, etc.
2. Mold installation:Install the designed mold on the stamping equipment to ensure the accuracy and stability of the mold.
3. Stamping operation:Start the stamping equipment to make the mold exert pressure on the metal sheet to complete the deformation or separation process.
4. Follow-up processing:Carry out necessary follow-up processing on stamped parts, such as deburring, electroplating, painting, etc., to improve their surface quality and performance.

What Are the Essential Design Considerations in Metal Stamping?

1.Material Selection

Inmetal stamping design, the choice of material is considered to be the most important consideration. Therefore, it is important to make a reasonable choice of materials. Various metal materials have their own unique physical and chemical properties, such as ductility, strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance, which have a direct impact on the performance and service life of stamped components. Therefore, how to rationally select materials has become an important issue in the metal processing industry. Commonstamping materials are aluminum, copper, steel,etc., among which steel is the most commonly used material. In some applications, metals have advantages over non-metals, so there is a growing interest in the properties of metals and their impact on the quality and performance of stamping parts. In the process of selecting materials, it is necessary to fully weigh the environment in which the product is used, the performance criteria, the cost factors, and the stamping characteristics of the material. For example, stainless steel is an ideal choice for components that need to withstand high loads and corrosive environments; For those parts that require lightness and high strength, aluminum alloys are particularly suitable.

2.Metal Thickness and Tolerances

The thickness of the metal is considered to be one of the core factors that determine the stamping process and the performance of the part. With the development of the modern automobile industry, higher requirements have been put forward for the strength and stiffness of automobile body materials, and at the same time, people have paid more and more attention to the problem of plate thickness control in the process of metal forming. In stamping operations, thinner sheet metal is prone to wrinkles or breakage, while relatively thick sheet metal has the potential to exacerbate die wear. In addition, due to the anisotropy of the sheet metal and the stress concentration after forming, the local thinning of thesheet metalwill be caused, so that its bearing capacity will be reduced. Therefore, when choosing the right metal thickness, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the shape, scale and usage specifications of the part. In order to ensure the consistency of the part, the setting of tolerances is particularly important. Therefore, it is necessary to design the product with reasonable tolerances during the design phase. The thickness tolerance of a stamped part directly determines the performance of the part and the quality of the final product. If it is too small, it cannot meet the needs of product performance. If tolerances are set too wide, synergies between parts may fail, adversely affecting the assembly and use of the product; For different types of stamping parts, their dimensional accuracy also varies greatly. If the tolerances are too small, then the difficulty and cost of manufacturing will increase. Therefore, in the design and production stage of stamping parts, it is necessary to set appropriate thickness tolerance ranges according to the specific needs of the product and the actual situation of the production process, and implement appropriate measures to ensure the high precision and excellent quality of the parts.

3.Stamping the design

Stamping the designis a core part of the metal stamping process. The design quality of the die directly affects the quality and productioncost of the stamping part. In mold design, there are several key factors to consider:

• Material stamping path:A reasonable stamping path can reduce the deformation resistance of the material andimprove the stamping efficiency and quality.Therefore, it is necessary to fully consider the fluidity and deformation characteristics of the material in the design to determine the optimal stamping path.
• Mold type:According to the shape and size requirements of the part, select the appropriate mold type, such as drawing die, trimming die, punching die, etc. Different types of dies have different structures and functions and are suitable for different stamping processes.
• Key structure:The key structure of the mold includes punch, die, pressing ring, etc. The design of these structures needs to fully consider the strength and wear resistance of the material, as well as the mechanical factors in the stamping process, to ensure the life of the die and the quality of the stamping parts.

4.Feature Placement

Inmetal stamping design, the placement of features is also crucial. Features include holes, slots, edges, etc., and their placement will directly affect the stamping process and part strength. When placing features, you need to avoid excessive stress concentrations or deformations during the stamping process. For example, holes should be positioned as far as possible in areas of bending or stretching of the material to reduce the risk of deformation and cracking of the material. The strength requirements of the part also need to be considered. For example, having stiffeners at the edges can improve the strength and stiffness of the part, but too many stiffeners can increase the difficulty and cost of stamping. Therefore, it is necessary to reasonably control the number and position of stiffeners on the premise of meeting the strength requirements.

How to Ensure Structural Integrity and Precision in Metal Stamping?

1.Minimizing Deformation

Advanced mold design technology is used to ensure the accuracy and stiffness of the mold and reduce the deformation of the mold during the stamping process. Reasonable design of the gap of the mold to avoid the material being deformed by excessive extrusion force during the stamping process;Choose metal materials with good ductility and strength to reduce deformation during stamping; Set reasonable stamping speed, edge pressing force and other process parameters to avoid part deformation caused by excessive strain rate; The error compensation method is used to artificially create a new error to offset the original error in the original process system, so as to improve the accuracy of the stamping part.

2.Edge and Corner Treatments

Avoid sharp corner designs and use shapes such as rounded or beveled corners to reduce stress concentration and the risk of rupture in the metal during the stamping process; improve the strength and deformation resistance of the metal by increasing the material thickness at the corners; use appropriate stamping processes, such as stretching andbending, avoid excessive tensile stress or compressive stress at the corners.

3.Stiffening Features

According to the usage requirements of the parts and the actual conditions of the manufacturing process, set appropriate tolerance ranges to ensure the stability and accuracy of the parts; use high-precision measuring tools to measure and inspect stamping parts to ensure that the size and shape accuracy of the parts meet the design Requirements; During the stamping process, the errors of each process are strictly controlled to ensure that the accuracy of each process meets the design requirements, thereby accumulating the final part accuracy.

4.Stiffening Features

Design elements such as stiffeners are added to stamped parts to improve the rigidity and durability of the product. The design of the stiffener needs to consider the fluidity and deformation characteristics of the material to avoid excessive stress concentration and deformation during the stamping process. By optimizing the structural design of the product, the overall strength and stability are improved. For example, reasonable wall thickness distribution, increasing support structure, etc., can be used to improve the rigidity and durability of the product; Heat treatment is carried out on stamping parts, such as quenching, tempering, etc., to improve the hardness and strength of the material, and further ensure the rigidity and durability of the product.

What Are the Key Engineering Challenges in Metal Stamping?

Tool and Die Wear

1. Causes of wear

• In the long-term, high-strength stamping process, the mold will be subject to the friction and extrusion of the material, resulting in gradual wear of the surface.
• Unreasonable mold design or improper material selection will also accelerate the wear process.

2. Countermeasures

• Optimize the mold design, reasonably distribute the stress, and reduce the wear parts.
• Choose mold materials with high wear resistance, such as cemented carbide, high-speed steel, etc.
• Lubricate and maintain the mold regularly to reduce friction and wear.
• When sharpening the mold, ensure the quality and accuracy of the grinding and prolong the service life of the mold.

Springback and Metal Stress

1.Reasons for springback

• The material will elastically deform during the stamping process. When the external force is unloaded, the material will rebound to a certain shape.
• Springback will cause the size and shape accuracy of parts to decrease, affecting product quality.

2.Countermeasures

• Optimize the mold design, such as adjusting the gap between the convex and concave molds, cutting edge radius and other parameters to reduce springback.
• Choose appropriate materials and consider the material's elastic modulus, yield strength and other mechanical property parameters to reduce springback.
• Adjust stamping process parameters, such as pressure, speed, temperature, etc., to control the deformation process and stress distribution of the material.
• Adopt compensation measures, such as preset reverse bending, thickened pads, etc., to offset the impact of springback.

Complex Shapes and Multi-Step Stamping

1.Challenge

• Complex-shaped stamping parts require high-precision mold design and manufacturing.
• In a multi-step stamping process, each step requires precise control to ensure the quality and accuracy of the final product.

2.Solution

• Use advanced mold design and manufacturing technology, such as CAD/CAM/CAE, etc., to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the mold.
• Optimize the stamping process, reasonably arrange the stamping steps and sequence, and reduce unnecessary deformation and errors.
• Introduce automation and intelligent equipment to improve the stability and controllability of the stamping process.

Cost and Efficiency Factors

1.Cost Influencing Factors
The cost of mold design and manufacturing accounts for a large proportion, which requires a lot of manpower, material and financial resources.
The choice of material also affects the cost, and the price and processing difficulty of different materials are different.

2.Efficiency influencing factors

• The performance and production capacity of stamping equipment directly affect production efficiency.
• Wear and tear of molds and replacement can also affect production efficiency and product consistency.

3.Optimization measures

• Adopt high-efficiency and energy-saving stamping equipment to improve production efficiency.
• Optimize the mold design and manufacturing process to shorten the mold manufacturing cycle and cost.
• Choose the right materials to reduce material costsand processing difficulties.
• Strengthen equipment maintenance and maintenance, prolong the service life of equipment and reduce the failure rate.

Why choose Longsheng to provide metal stamping services?

1.Metal stamping services

Ourcustom metal stampingand forming services are suitable for multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace, manufacturing and more, to meet the different needs of our customers. Our team has extensive experience and expertise to provide customers with high-quality metal stamping forming services and technical support. Our metal stamping services can provide prototyping solutions for custom metal parts,contact us today to get started on your project.

2.Metal stamping parts production base

Longsheng has a professional teamwith strong skills and rich experience, which can provide customers with professional technical support and after-sales service. We adhere to the principle of “quality first, customer first” and serve our customers wholeheartedly. If you have any processing needs or questions, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to cooperating with you!

FAQs

1.What is the difference between hot and cold stamping?

The maindifference between hot stamping and cold stampingis the state in which the material is heated before stamping. Hot stamping: Before entering the mold, the steel plate is heated to a high temperature (usually at 880~950°C). Cold stamping: The steel plate is stamped at room temperature without heat treatment. Hot stamping involves heating a billet to the point where it can be formed. Special molds are used to give these blanks the desired shape. The material is then rapidly cooled to lock in the design of the part. This process is best suited for the manufacture of lightweight parts. This process is more expensive than the cold stamping process and does not allow the part to be reformed. Cold stamping does not use heat to form parts, but instead uses strong pressure. Cold stamping is a faster and less costly manufacturing process as compared to hot stamping. It is suitable for a wide range of materials. However, it can cause warping of parts. Hot stamping does not have this problem because it has high tensile strength and stress resistance.
2.How does material thickness impact the stamping process?

Material thickness has a significant impact on the stamping processand finished product quality: ① The thinner the material, the smaller the required mold gap; conversely, the thicker the material, the larger the required gap. Reasonable die clearance is the key factor to ensure the smooth progress of the blanking process. ②The stamping deformation force, discharge force, etc. are directly proportional to the material thickness. The thicker the material, the greater the strength and tonnage of the stamping equipment required. ③ When punching thick sheets, the accuracy is low and the quality is rough. It needs to go through a trimming process to meet the accuracy requirements. Thin sheets may produce surface defects such as wrinkles or strains due to uneven material flow during the stamping process. ④In the bending, drawing and punching processes, the rebound amount of thin materials is usually larger than that of thick materials, so the accuracy of thin material stamping parts may be reduced due to rebound.
3.What are some common challenges in metal stamping and how can they be overcome?

Challenges that may be encountered during the metal stamping process include scrap jam, die wear, unstable stamping part quality, etc. To solve the problem of waste stuck, we can optimize the waste falling path by designing a reasonable waste removal mechanism; perform regular mold maintenance and upkeep to ensure sufficient blanking space on the mold. For the problem of mold wear, we can choose mold materials with good wear resistance to increase the service life of the mold; optimize the stamping process to reduce the friction and impact between the mold and the material. In response to the unstable quality of stamping parts, we need to strictly control the quality of raw materials to ensure the consistency and stability of the materials.Optimize stamping process parameters, such as stamping speed, amount and type of lubricant, etc.
4.How do I choose the right type of metal for my stamping project?

Clarify the requirements for the shape, size, accuracy, surface roughness and strength of the parts; understand the deformation resistance, ductility, conductivity, corrosion resistance and other properties of different metal materials; comprehensively consider the cost of raw materials, mold manufacturing costs, processing costs and production Factors such as efficiency; select appropriate stamping processes and equipment based on the processability of metal materials.

Summary

The basicdesign considerations for metal stampinginclude material selection, metal thickness and tolerance, stamping die design, and feature placement; Key engineering challenges include tool wear, springback and metal stress, complex shapes and multi-step stamping, and cost and efficiency factors, all of which are interrelated and affect product quality and productivity. Therefore, when carrying out metal stamping design and engineering, these factors need to be considered comprehensively to ensure the smooth progress of the stamping process and the high-quality output of the product. By continuously optimizing the design and process parameters,metal stamping technologywill continue to contribute to the development of the industrial manufacturing sector in the future.

Disclaimer

The content on this page is for reference only.Longshengdoes not make any express or implied representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or validity of the information. No performance parameters, geometric tolerances, specific design features, material quality and type or workmanship should be inferred as to what a third party supplier or manufacturer will deliver through the Longsheng Network. It is the responsibility of the buyerseeking a quote for partsto determine the specific requirements for those parts.Pleasecontact usfor moreinformation.

Longsheng Team

This article was written by multiple Longsheng contributors. Longsheng is a leading resource in the manufacturing sector, withCNC machining,sheet metal fabrication,3D printing,injection molding,metal stamping, and more.