Stamping metal is a method of making customised metal parts from flat metal sheets. Blanking, punching, bending, and piercing are just a few of the metal-forming processes that may be employed in this intricate procedure.
The Midwest is home to the majority of the nation’s tens of thousands of enterprises that offer aluminium stamping services for the metal, the vast majority of which are based there. The demand for rapidly manufactured, high quantities of complicated parts has increased as worldwide markets have developed.
What Is Metal Stamping?
Metal stamping typically involves pressing cold metal between two dies, while certain methods require the metal to be heated first. Metal is shaped into the form needed by being pushed into the material. Most of the time, these forms result in functional instruments or structural elements. The term “pressing” is occasionally used by those in the fabrication business when referring to aluminium stamping.
Metal is either sliced or formed by stamping dies housed within the machinery. These cutting tools are custom-made for each endeavour. Even while creating a die is a time-consuming process, once it is complete, steel stamping a product takes only a few seconds.
Using this method, a large number of identical components can be manufactured. Stamping could be the first of several processes involved in making a part of the final step.
Stamping’s adaptability makes it a prime manufacturing technique for numerous fields, including the auto, military, public transportation, and manufacturing industries.
Various Stamping Types
The final product will dictate the sort of aluminium stamping utilised. Stamping techniques such as precision, hot metal, and progressive die are frequently employed.
- Precision Metal Stamping:
Stamping with high precision can be used to make three-dimensional objects or graphics, and the process always yields precisely finished goods. Precision aluminium stamping is substantially quicker than conventional stamping since the material is moved between fewer machines.
Due to the great precision of this stamping technology, even the most elaborate designs may be formed with pinpoint accuracy. Precision stamping can be used on components with length tolerances of 0.001 to 0.002 inches and roundness tolerances of 0.0005 to 0.001 inches. The production of prototypes, as well as electronic and telecommunications equipment, aircraft and engine parts, and electronic components, are all common applications for precision metal stamping.
2. Stamping Heated Metal:
Stamping metal while it’s extremely hot is called “hot metal stamping.” The boron steel is heated to more than 1700 degrees Fahrenheit and then quenched in the die. The end product is a lightweight steel component with exceptional strength.
The high tensile strength of a hot metal stamped item, which typically varies from around 50 KSI to about 200 KSI, is one of its key advantages. Hot aluminium stamping also enables the simultaneous formation of multiple, complex parts, eliminating the need for additional assembly processes like welding. Unlike other methods of forming high-strength steel, there is no spring back or warping in the finished product. Due to the hardened state of the component, post-formation trimming and cutting can be challenging. In most cases, you’ll require a high-powered laser for these procedures. Hot metal stamping necessitates the use of several tools, including but not limited to
- A furnace that can get the metal up to the required temperature
- Sufficient means of cooling
- A robotic handling system since the finished product will be extremely hot to the touch.
- Highly thermal-shock-resistant tooling
- Dwell-capable hydraulic/servo press
- You want to make sure your stamping press equipment is up to code when it comes to safety.
3. Advanced Metal Stamping:
The process of progressive steel stamping, often called progressive die stamping, involves passing a piece of metal through a series of stations where it is treated differently. The metal component stays fastened to the long material strip during all these transformations. The final machine slits the metal strip into the final product.
Progressive die stamping is a fantastic option for manufacturing methods for high-volume, long-run procedures. The dies have a long lifespan, and there is the little by-product of the process.
Transfer die stamping is required if a larger item is being made that may require a unique press. This technique is quite similar to progressive stamping, with only a few minute differences between the two. An earlier separation from the metal strip allows the component to be transported on a conveyor belt from one machine to the next.
Different Press Designs for Stamping Metal
Depending on their function, stamping presses fall into one of three categories:
- Mechanical presses for stamping.
Mechanical stamping presses get power from a motor coupled with a mechanical flywheel. They typically have a binding capacity of 20–6,000 tonnes and a pressing speed of 20–1,500 strokes per minute. Progressive and transfer stamping at high rates of production are typical applications.
- Hydraulic stamping presses.
Stamping pressure in hydraulic presses is created by pressured hydraulic fluid. Both the stroke and the rate of their movement can be modified. Between twenty and ten thousand tonnes can be pressed. They are primarily used for low-volume manufacturing of complex components and finished goods.
- Mechanical stamping presses with servos.
The high-capacity motors in mechanical servo presses get their power from a link-assisted or direct drive mechanism. They are commonly utilised to speed up the production of complex parts that would otherwise take too long to make with mechanical or hydraulic machinery.
Benefits Of Metal Stamping
- Part manufacturers who choose steel stamping do so because of the many advantages it provides.
- Once the dies have been made, metalworkers may quickly mass-produce many identical parts. Faster production is possible because of computer numerical control (CNC) machining and other forms of automation.
- Metal stamping dies manufacture is less expensive than other forms of metal shaping. The utilisation of ferrous metals leads to a reduction in the project’s overall cost, as well.
- The capacity to reuse or recycle scrap metal after steel stamping is a major benefit of employing sheet metal. Fabricators can repurpose any unwanted materials from making final items.
Conclusion
Stamping metal has a wide range of applications in industry. The right tools (presses and dies) and processes can be utilised to make various metal parts. Contact Arbomex if you need a reliable metal stamping partner. Due to our years of experience in production and cutting-edge metalworking facilities, we can meet your steel stamping requirements, no matter how specific.
