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In the vast field of manufacturing, metal stamping, as an efficient and precise forming process, occupies a pivotal position. With its unique process characteristics and wide range of applications, it has become an indispensable part of many production lines. This article aims to deeply explore theworking principle of metal stampingand reveal the scientific secrets and practical application value behind it.

What is Metal Stamping?

Metal stamping refers to the process of processing metal sheets into the desired shape insheet metal stamping dies. Its principle is mainly to use the mechanical force of the punch machine to process materials into the required shape. The stamping machine mainly consists of a frame, slider, mold and transmission device. When themetal stamping machineis working, the sheet metal is first placed between the molds, and under the action of mechanical force, the sheet metal is processed into the required shape. Different stamping dies can be processed intometalstampings of different shapes.

What is the Science Behind Metal Stamping?

The science behindmetal stampingis based on the precise coordination of the plastic deformation principle of metal materials and mold design and manufacturing technology. Through reasonable mold design, precise process parameter adjustment, and appropriate material selection, metal stamping parts of various shapes and sizes can be efficiently produced. Thesestampingparts are widely used in automobiles, home appliances, electronics, communications and other fields, making important contributions to the development of modern manufacturing.

How does Metal Stamping work？

metal stamping process step by step：

• Material preparation:Select appropriatestamp metalplatesand perform necessary preprocessing, such as cutting, cleaning, degreasing, etc.

• Mold design and manufacturing:Design and manufacturestampingmoldsaccording to product drawings. The accuracy and rationality of the mold directly affect the quality and production efficiency of the product.

• Stamping forming:The metal sheet is placed between the molds, and pressure is applied through a press to cause the sheet to plastically deform under the constraints of the mold to form the desired shape. The stamping process may include various deformation methods such as blanking, punching, bending, and stretching.

• Subsequent processing:Afterstamping, parts may need to undergo deburring, trimming, cleaning, heat treatment, surface treatment and other subsequent processing to meet the final requirements of the product.

• Quality inspection:Strictly inspect the size, shape, surface quality and other aspects of the finished product to ensure that the product meets the design requirements.

What are the Different Types of Stamping Processes?

1.Blanking

A basicmetal stamped process that uses a mold to separate materials, which can be directly made into flat parts or prepare blanks for other stamping processes such as bending, drawing, etc. Blanking is widely used in industrial sectors such as automobiles, household appliances, electronics, instrumentation, machinery, railways, communications, chemicals, light industry, textiles, and aerospace.

2.punching

Punching is the application of pressure to a metal plate through a specially designed mold to form a hole of the desired shape. It is often used to manufacture through holes or specific functional holes on parts to produce parts with various hole shapes, such as ventilation holes. , bracket or panel. Metals with low brittleness and moderate hardness are suitable forstamping metal to avoid cracks during the stamping process.

3.bending

Bending refers to the process of bending a metal plate into a desired shape or angle through a mold. This process applies bending force to the metal plate, causing the metal plate to bend and deform under the action of the mold. Bending is one of the common processes inmetal stamping. It is widely used to manufacture various parts and products, such as boxes, shells, brackets, etc., to provide the required shape and structure for metal products.

4.Stretch

Also called drawing or calendering, it is astampingprocessing method that uses a die to turn the flat blank obtained after punching into an open hollow part. Can be made into cylindrical, stepped, conical, spherical, box-shaped and other irregular-shaped thin-walled parts.

5.imprint

Imprinting is the creation ofmetallic stamp, patterns, or textures on the surface of hardware. For example, add decorative features, logos,metal stamps,or textures to components commonly found in coins and jewelry.

6.perforation

One of the most basic forms of metal stamping, a machining tool is used to punch holes in a metal plate to create multiple small hollow areas. The punched material produced during the entire machining process is discarded.

7.Flange

It is a plastic processing method that bends the edge of a thin plate blank or the material in the narrow area of ​​​​the edge of a pre-made hole on the blank into a vertical edge along a curve or straight line. It is mainly used to strengthen the edges of parts, remove trimmed edges, and make them for assembly with other parts. The connecting part.

8.Grooving

The main feature of grooving is cutting a small V-shaped notch or groove out of themetal stamper. Typically used where two pieces of metal need to interlock or join, such as creating tabs and notches for assembly.

What Machines are Used for Metal Stamping?

Mechanical punching machine

Mechanical presses primarily use an electric motor connected to a mechanical flywheel to transmit and store energy. The rotation of the motor drives the flywheel to rotate, and the energy stored in the flywheel is released during the stamping process, driving the slider (or punch) to move up and down, thereby achievingstampingprocessing of metal materials.
Mechanicalmetal stamping machine have the advantages of simple structure, low manufacturing cost, and easy maintenance. They are available in a wide range of punch sizes, from a few millimeters to hundreds of millimeters, and at varying pressing speeds, typically between 20 and 1,500 strokes per minute. These presses range in size from 20 to 6,000 tons and are suitable for progressive and transfer stamping in high-volume production.

Hydraulic press

Hydraulic presses use a hydraulic system to apply pressure to the material. The hydraulic system converts the pressure energy of the liquid (usually oil) into mechanical energy through a hydraulic pump, thereby driving the slider to move up and down. Hydraulic pistons displace fluid at a force level proportional to the diameter of the piston head, enabling advanced control of the amount of pressure.
Hydraulic presses have the advantages of stable pressure, adjustable stroke and speed, and can provide full power at any point in the stroke. These presses typically range in size from 20 tons to 10,000 tons, with stroke sizes ranging from approximately 10mm to 800mm. Hydraulic presses are typically used on smaller production runs to create more complex and deeper stamped parts than mechanical presses.

Mechanical servo stamping machine

Mechanical servo stamping machines use high-capacity motors instead of flywheels, and precisely control the motor's speed and torque through a servo control system to achieve precise control of the slide movement.
Mechanical servo presses have the advantage that stroke, slide position and movement, and speed are all controlled and programmable. They can create more complex stampings at a faster rate than hydraulic presses and are the most expensive of the three types.

How Does a Stamping Machine Work?

The working principle of the stamping machine is to drive the flywheel through the motor, and drive the crank linkage mechanism through clutches, transmission gears and other components, so that the slider moves up and down in a linear motion on the guide rail of the frame. During the downward movement of the slider, the slider drives the upper die to extrude, punch, or stretch the material placed on the workbench, causing the material to plastically deform to obtain the required shape and size. After the stamping is completed, the slider returns to its original position under the action of the return spring or other reset mechanism to prepare for the next stamping.

The working principle of a stamping machineinvolves the following key steps:

• Power transmission: The power of the motor is transmitted to the flywheel through the transmission device (such as belts, gears, etc.), causing the flywheel to rotate and store kinetic energy.
• Clutch function: When stamping is required, the clutch is engaged to transfer the kinetic energy stored in the flywheel to the transmission gear and crank link mechanism.
• Slider movement: Driven by the transmission gear, the crank-link mechanism converts the rotational motion into linear reciprocating motion of the slider.
• Stamping processing: The slider drives the upper mold and the lower mold to close, and the material is stamped.
• Slider reset: After stamping is completed, the slider returns to its original position under the action of the reset mechanism.

What are Common Applications of Metal Stamping?

1.Automotive industry:Key components such as automobile body panels, chassis components, and engine brackets are mostly produced through stamping processes. The stamping production line can ensure the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of parts and improve the overall performance and safety of the car.

2.Aerospace industry:Parts such as brackets, bushings, shields, clips, etc. in the aerospace industry are often produced through precision metal stamping technology. Not only do these parts require extremely high dimensional accuracy and surface quality, they also need to withstand extreme working environments and load conditions.

3.Home appliance manufacturing:Most of the casings, internal structural parts, support frames and other components of home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwave ovens are produced using stamping processes. These parts have strict requirements on dimensional accuracy and surface treatment, and metal stamping technology can meet these needs.

4.Healthcare:The manufacturing of medical equipment such as temperature probes, surgical equipment, and prosthetics requires high-precision and high-reliability components. Metal stamping technology can meet these requirements and produce precision stamped parts that meet medical standards.

5.Electronic and electrical industry:A key industry that produces components for electronic equipment and electrical equipment. Examples include connectors, terminals, contact springs, heat sinks and various electronic housing components.

6.Power Generation:Metal stamping is used to produce components used in power generation equipment, such as electrical contacts, transformer components, and generator parts.

7.Construction:Metal stamping produces a variety of components, including brackets, fasteners, hinges and structural supports.

8.Consumer Products:Metal stamping is commonly used to produce a variety of consumer products such as toys, kitchenware, and decorative items.

9.Energy and Renewables:Components such as solar panel wiring, aluminum frames, and inverter and controller housings are also often manufactured using metal stamping techniques.

10.Furniture Manufacturing:Manufacture of hardware components for furniture, including brackets, hinges and fittings.

11.Telecommunications: stamping on metalis critical for manufacturing components in telecommunications equipment including connectors, antenna brackets.

12.Military and Defense:The military and defense industry uses metal stamping to manufacture components for vehicles, weapons systems, and other defense-related equipment.

FAQs

1.How does a stamping machine work?

The stamping machine drives the flywheel through an electric motor, and is equipped with a radiator and transmission gear to drive the crank connecting rod mechanism to move up and down. This movement process drives the stretching mold to form and process metal materials such as steel plates. Specifically, the working principle of the stamping machine is as shown in the figure. The rotor motion is converted into linear motion. The main motor outputs power to drive the flywheel, and the piston drives the gears, crankshaft, connecting rods, etc. to complete the linear motion of the coordinates. In cooperation with the mold, pressure is exerted on the material to cause plastic deformation, and finally the required shape and precision are obtained.

2.What machine is used for metal stamping?

Hardware stamping is usually processed using a stamping machine. A stamping machine is a metal processing machine widely used in hardware, electronics, automobile manufacturing and other industries. According to specific needs, stamping machines can be divided into various types, such as pneumatic stamping machines, hydraulic stamping machines, mechanical stamping machines, etc. These stamping machines achieve stamping processing of metal materials through different driving methods and structural designs.

3.What is the process of bending metal stamping?

First, according to the product requirements, design detailed stamping parts drawings to determine the shape, size and accuracy of the stamping parts. Next, prepare appropriate materials, and then make stamping molds according to the design drawings. The pretreated metal material is fed into the stamping machine, and the material is stamped through the up and down movement of the mold. During the stamping process, the male and female molds of the mold cooperate with each other to exert pressure on the material and plastically deform it to obtain the desired shape and size. Then the stamped products are subjected to subsequent processing, such as deburring, cleaning, painting, etc., to improve the appearance quality and surface finish of the products. Finally, strict quality inspection is carried out on the processed products to ensure that the products meet the design requirements and customer needs.

4.Where is metal stamping used?

Metal stamping is widely used in many industries such as automobiles, aerospace, electronic appliances, household appliances, and medical equipment. In the automotive industry, stamping parts are an important part of body manufacturing; in the aerospace field, stamping technology is used to manufacture complexmetal stampparts and components; in the electronic and household appliances industries,metal stampingsare used to manufacture various casings , brackets and other parts.

Summary

As an important metal forming process, metal stamping works based on the plastic deformation characteristics of metal materials and the precision design andmetal stamping manufacturingof molds. Through reasonable process parameter adjustment and efficient stamping process control,metal stamping technologyplays an irreplaceable role in the manufacturing industry and will continue to promote innovation and development in related fields.

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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.