Stamping Process and its Applications
Stamping is a method of forming and manipulating sheet metal into desired shapes and parts. It typically involves punches, dies, press machines and other related components that essentially shape and fabricate thin sheet metals into products and parts of various sizes, shapes and complexities. This cold-working process regularly involves a combination of blanking, piercing, drawing, forming, embossing and other processes to transform sheet metal into useful components.
The entire process is commonly associated with mass production and is used to produce virtually any type of product or part with relative ease. The nature of stamping has seen it expand rapidly in the automotive, electronics and various other industrial sectors. Basic of stamping involves the pressing of a punch or die against a flat strip of metal at a predetermined pressure. A major advantage of stamping is their ability to offer complex shapes and features that would be difficult and costly to produce by any other method.
Stamped parts are used for a variety of purposes. They can be used for basic structural components, such as frames and housings, to highly technical components, such as springs and form-in-place gaskets. They can also be used in products that require intricate geometries and/or precise fitment tolerances. In addition, they can be used in products that require multiple components to be closely interconnected or have superior structural integrity.
Stamping is suitable for industries such as automotive, electronics, home appliances, medical, food processing, electronic packaging and lighting. In the automotive industry, stampings are widely used for components such as body parts, electrical harnesses, springs, door handles, brackets and other components. Parts are produced from steel, copper, aluminum and stainless steel.
In the electronics industry, stamping is widely used for products that require small and/or intricate geometries. Commonly produced parts include contact pins, connectors, terminals and wire harnesses. In addition, stamped parts can be used for a variety of phone and computer components.
The medical industry heavily depends on stamping for components that require superior precision, small size and intricate design. Examples include syringe components, surgical tools and implants. Other industrial sectors that rely heavily on stamping include home appliance, food processing and lighting. For instance, stamped components can be used to manufacture electrical connectors and fasteners, small motors, wiring harnesses, conveyor parts and other products.
Stamping is often seen as a one-step process, but that is only true with simple parts or designs. In most cases, the design of the part or product will require numerous steps, each of which utilizes a different stamping operation.
The first step in the stamping process is blanking. This operation involves a punch and die combination to punch out a desired shape from a flat sheet of metal. Commonly performed on presses frame utilizing progressive dies, blanking often requires minimal metal-removal and is used mainly for producing a wide variety of parts.
The second step is piercing and involves the perforation of materials to produce holes of different shapes and sizes. A variety of punches and dies are used for this operation. These processes are highly accurate and finely finished.
The third type of operation is draw forming, which is mainly used to produce hollow shells and/or deep components from metal sheets. This operation is performed on deep-draw presses, which utilize stress-relieving operations and lubricants to ease the metal-stretching process.
The fourth type of operation is forming. This operation involves the reshaping of metals through the use of either a mechanical or a hydraulic press machine. Generally, this operation is used to form bends and other non-traditional-geometric shapes.
The fifth type of operation is embossing, which places a raised or sunken figure or pattern on the surface of the sheet metal. This operation is generally used for decorative purposes, though it also serves to strengthen the sheet metal parts.
Finally, there is trimming and reaming. After the stamped parts have been produced, it may be necessary to reame and/or trim them to obtain accurate, finished specifications. This process utilizes punches to cut away excess metal and to improve the accuracy of the parts.
Various techniques, tools and machines are typically used in the different stamping operations. For example, progressive stamping, which is a continuous process, uses a series of combination dies, punches and feeder systems to produce a series of components in a single operation. Also, some presses are generally capable of simultaneously carrying out multiple tasks such as piercing, blanking, draw and trimming.
Through the use of stamping and various pressing machines, various applications and industries are able to manufacture highly complex components with accuracy and in a very cost-effective manner. Stamping is a key element of mass production, mainly used to produce a variety of parts with meager risk of failure and relatively inexpensively. This comprehensive manufacturing procedure is widely used in various sectors, including automotive, electronics, home appliances, medical, food processing, electronic packaging and lighting.
