What are the different types of metal stamping processes?
Piercing
Blanking
Drawing
Coining
Lancing
Embossing
In metal stamping processes, the types differ from one another, depending on what shape they achieve. This is done in order to create complex designs for various industries, such as consumer goods, aviation, electronics, telecommunications, automotive manufacturing, food and beverage, and many more. It’s very rare that an entire metal stamping project makes use of only one technique because each process achieves a certain design on sheet metal.
Some types of metal stamping include the following: piercing, coining, lancing, drawing, embossing, and blanking. Although they may involve differentiated techniques, they’re all done in room temperature environments with minimal-to-no application of heat. These cold-forming processes are made possible by different types of tooling dies, machinery, and other tools to achieve the desired appearance. Continue reading to learn more.
Piercing
Piercing is one of the most basic forms of metal stamping. In this method, sheet metal is securely placed on a workbench. Using a machining tool, a hole is punched through the sheet metal, creating multiple small hollow areas. Unlike in other techniques, the resulting punched material is discarded from the entire process and won’t be used later on.
In this type of process, it’s important that the punching motion remains instantaneous. This ensures that there will be no deformations in the area surrounding the hole formation.
Piercing machines are usually made out of high carbon steel and are kept in excellent condition to avoid any blunt areas that can affect the shape of the metal workpiece.
Blanking
Blanking appears similar to piercing, but with a major difference — the punched piece is not discarded, but instead is considered as the finished product. Many metal stampers usually do this as the first phase of an entire metal stamping project, followed by other techniques such as piercing, bending, or coining.
Blanking is done in order to fabricate small or medium-sized metals that have been cut out from a large metal sheet. This is an ideal process for both low and high-volume production due to its simplicity, yet ability to create high precision metal cuttings.
There are some cases, however, where the cut metal product may end up having burrs or sharp unwanted edges. Although they’re common, they are usually removed through manual deburring, vibratory finishes, or heat deburring.
Read more: 6 TYPES OF METAL STAMPING PROCESSES
