Metal stamping is a vital step in industrial manufacturing, which provides an economical way of creating precision parts in large quantities. It’s a basic technique available in various fields such as auto, electronics and consumer where it can form intricate geometrical shapes with high repeatability and accuracy levels.
What is metal stamping?
This is a kind of manufacturing process in which plastic deformation or separation of plates, strips, tubes, profiles etc. is obtained by using the press and the mold to apply external forces to them.
The process of metal stamping process
1.Design
Create a hardware drawing based on requirements of the product and determine its shape as well as size including metals precision.
2. Mold manufacturing
Based on hardware drawings design corresponding molds for example upper, lower, guiding devices etc..
3.Material preparation
Choose suitable metal materials like carbon steel, stainless steel, copper etc., get them cut into plates, stripes or tubes of required sizes.
4.Stamping
Put the metal material into the stamping machine so that it exerts pressure on it through the collaboration between top mold and bottom ones thus resulting to plastic deformation that makes up hardware fabrication.
5.Post-treatment
Perform deburring operations like rounding off sharp edges; shaping processes for example bending flatteners; cleaning actions such as washing to remove any dirt from there among others that are done on stamped hardware so that precision and surface qualities are attained.
6.Quality inspection
On stamped hardwares size, shape and mechanical properties quality inspection should be done so that products meet needed standards.
Common metal stamping materials
Commonly used stamping materials usually have: a variety of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and other non-metallic plate class of which the steel (including strip) classification.
Classification by thickness
(1) Thin plate (2) In the plate (3) Thick plate (4) Extra-thick plate
Classification by production method
(1) Hot-rolled steel plate (2) Cold-rolled steel plate
Classification by surface characteristics
(1) Galvanized sheet (hot-dip galvanized sheet, galvanized sheet) (2) Tin-plated sheet (3) Composite steel (4) Color-coated steel
Classification by use
(1) Bridge steel plate (2) Boiler steel plate (3) Shipbuilding steel plate (4) Armor steel plate (5) Automotive steel plate (6) Roofing steel plate (7) Structural steel plate (8) Electrical steel plate (silicon steel sheet) (9) Bullet steel plate
Cold Rolled Plate
1.Cold Rolled Ordinary Thin Steel Plate
Cold rolled thin steel plate is ordinary carbon structural steel cold rolled plate, commonly known as cold plate. It is from the ordinary carbon structural steel hot-rolled steel strip, after further cold rolling made of steel plate thickness less than 4mm. Due to rolling at room temperature, does not produce iron oxide, therefore, cold plate surface quality, high dimensional accuracy, coupled with annealing, its mechanical properties and process properties are better than hot rolled sheet, in many areas, especially in the field of home appliances manufacturing, has gradually replaced the hot rolled sheet with it.
2. Cold rolled high quality thin steel plate
With the cold-rolled ordinary thin steel plate, cold-rolled high-quality carbon structural steel sheet is also the most widely used cold plate in the thin steel plate. Cold-rolled high-quality carbon steel plate is made of high-quality carbon structural steel, cold rolled into a thickness of less than 4mm sheet.
Hot Rolled Plate
The common non-sour surface hot rolled plate for stamping is mostly made of high quality carbon structural steel. High-quality carbon structural steel is less than 0.8% carbon steel, this steel contains sulfur, phosphorus and non-metallic inclusions less than carbon structural steel, mechanical properties are more excellent.
According to the different carbon content can be divided into three categories: low-carbon steel (C ≤ 0.25%), medium-carbon steel (C 0.25-0.6%) and high-carbon steel (C> 0.6%). According to the different manganese content is divided into normal manganese content (containing manganese 0.25%-0.8%) and higher manganese content (containing manganese 0.70%-1.20%) of the two groups, the latter has better mechanical properties and processing performance.
Common Types of Metal Stamping
Progressive Die Stamping
Progressive die stamping is a method where several stamping operations are carried out in a single press pass. A metal strip moves through various stations each performing its own specific function such as cutting, bending or punching. For high volume production, this process offers consistent precision and decreased manufacturing time. In addition to being efficient and able to produce complex parts, progressive die stamping is commonly used in the automotive and electronic industries.
Transfer Die Stamping
On the other hand, transfer die stamping involves the movement of individual parts from one station to another within the press. Unlike progressive stamping where the part moves mechanically or automatically between dies for different operations. This method can be applied in larger parts and assemblies which require multiple forming operations. It is suitable for handling different shapes and sizes thus making it ideal in aerospace industry as well as heavy machinery sectors.
Compound Die Stamping
This process enables various cutting and forming operations to take place at once with just a single stroke of press machine. This technique is highly efficient for creating uncomplicated parts with high precision and minimal wastage of material. Industries like medical devices make use of small flat parts that have stringent requirements on tight tolerances typically employ compound die stamping. Precision electronics manufacturers rely on Compound die stamping because it offers both accuracy and stability.
Four-slide Stamping
Meanwhile four-slide-stamping entails four different slides working together to manipulate the metal strip. With four slide stampings intricate bends or shapes that would be difficult using other types of stampings are possible to make easily. On the other hand producing complex but small parts, four-slide-stamping is very versatile and cost effective . The production of springs, clips, connectors for consumer electronics telecommunications among others highly uses Four slide Stampings.
Fine Blanking
Fine blanking is an advanced type of metal stamping which combines principles found in both stamping and extrusion to produce highly accurate and smooth-edged parts. This method is particularly useful for producing parts that require tight tolerances and a high-quality finish. Fine blanking is widely used in the automotive industry for components such as gears, and other precision parts where surface quality, dimensional accuracy counts.
Stamping process characteristics
-Complex shaped parts can be stamped with less waste and high material utilization rate.
-High dimensional accuracy, stable quality and good interchangeability of stamped parts.
-Simple operation, high productivity
-Low price
-Complicated mold manufacturing, high cost
-Suitable for mass production
Types of stamping mold
Stamping die is generally divided into single-process mold, composite mold, progressive mold.
Comparison of the characteristics of single-process mold, composite mold and continuous mold
Item | Single-process mold | Composite mold | Continuous mold |
Stamping accuracy | Generally lower | Medium, high accuracy | Medium, high accuracy |
Raw material requirements | Not strict | In addition to strips, scraps can also be used for small items | Strip or roll |
Stamping productivity | Low | Higher | High |
Possibility of realizing operation mechanization and automation | Easier, especially suitable for automation on transfer presses | Difficult, some mechanical operations can only be achieved on a single machine | Easy, especially suitable for automation on a single machine |
Production versatility | Good, suitable for medium and small batch production and mass production of large parts | Poor, only suitable for mass production | Poor, only suitable for mass production of medium and small parts |
Complexity and price | Simple structure, short manufacturing cycle and low price | Complex structure, difficult to manufacture and high price | The structure is complex, manufacturing and adjustment are difficult, and the price rises in direct proportion to the number of jobs. |
What is metal stamping used for?
1. Electronic products: casings, connectors and other hardware for electronic products such as mobile phones, computers, and televisions.
2. Auto parts: automobile engine parts, suspension system parts, exhaust system parts, etc.
3. Building decoration: metal plates, metal pipes, metal wires and other building decoration materials.
4. Household appliances: casings, connectors and other hardware for household appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.