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About Metal Stampings
Metal stamping services produce large amounts of products
and parts at a low cost. Metal stamping is a metal forming process in
which flat stock sheet metal, formed from metals such as steel, aluminum,
zinc, nickel, titanium, etc., is shaped into predetermined parts in a
stamping press. During press operation, the slide, or ram, maintains
movement to and from a motionless table called a press bed. The die,
a press tool consisting of a specially designed cavity, shapes metal
parts from the inserted sheet metal. The upper component of the die connects
to the press slide, and the lower component connects to the press bed.
A die component called the punch performs the necessary shaping operation
by pushing the sheet metal through the die.
After the metal stampings are formed, they are typically subjected to
one or more secondary processes. Plating increases the corrosion resistance,
solderability and wearability of the part. The most common plating materials
include gold, palladium, nickel and tin; metal can be pre-plated to avoid
this secondary process. Cleaning removes oils and films from the metal
stampings. Heat treating processes increase the strength of the product.
The part is stamped in the soft state before it is hardened by heat treating
in order to circumvent its tendency to crack when formed or coined. Sharp
corners are removed by the deburring
process, which can be done by either
abrasives or chemicals.
Stamping presses are basically machines having the space and means to
activate dedicated metal forming tools with the force, speed and precision
needed to produce the required part shape. Metal stamping services use
two types of presses—mechanical and hydraulic, both of which are
available in a wide variety of sizes, tonnage capacities, stroke lengths
and operating speeds. Mechanical presses produce energy in the flywheel,
which is then transferred to the crankshaft, electric shaft or eccentric
gear. Gap frame and straight side presses are the two main types of mechanical
presses. Gap frames are often utilized in applications where the stock
is fed by hand; straight frames are ideal for progressive die and transfer
die applications. In hydraulic presses, a controlled force is actuated
by hydraulic pressure, which is used to move one or more rams in a preset
sequence. Hydraulic presses—which have a variety of types of frames,
including C-frames, straight sides, H-frames and four-column, among others—have
the ability to deliver full power at any point in the stroke, adjustable
tonnage with overload protection and adjustable stroke length and speed.
These presses are ideal for deep drawing, short runs, precision metal
stampings, lower-speed high-tonnage blanking with long feed lengths and
work requiring repeatable pressure rather than repeatable depth of stroke.
Metal stamping services are cost-effective because the process is able
to produce material-intensive parts at production rates that are much
greater than what is possible using other traditional methods. Many parts
that are being designed to undergo other metal forming processes, such
as casting, die casting, forging, machining or fabricating, could just
as easily be designed for stamping. Metal stamping dies cost less than
other tooling, like molds, forging and casting dies and expendable cutting
tools, among others. The quality, accuracy, function, wear life and appearance
of parts can be greatly improved by designing them to be stamped. Metal
stamping allows parts to be made of tougher and harder material than
other processes allow. Often the secondary processes can be reduced in
number or eliminated altogether to reduce cost even further. A number
of material-intensive parts can be produced as metal stampings: balance
clamps, base weights, brackets, brake flanges, bushing seats, conveyor
flights, engine bases, flywheel shrouds, framed hangers, friction plates,
gear and sprocket blanks, lock tabs, reinforcement plates, retainers,
spring seats, upright bars, wear and swivel pads, wheel or backing rings
and yoke guides.
Featured
Articles
http://www.hobsonmotzer.com/whatsnew/stamper.shtml
http://archive.metalformingmagazine.com/2002/10/DeepDrawing.pdf
http://www.fandmmag.com/fmmag/article.asp?article_id=500&channel_id=2&featured=1
Types of Metal Stampings
- (http://deepdrawn.metalstamper.net)
converts flat sheet metal into three-dimensional shapes—including
cylindrical, shell-like, cup-like, rectangular and square shapes—whose
lengths (depths) exceed the radius of the part. As the flat metal moves
over the die, the metal blank is restrained on either side of the die
opening by a blankholder; the punch then pushes the secured blank into
the die cavity, creating the desired shape.
- (http://electronic.metalstamper.net)
are metal stamped electronic components.
- (http://fourslide.metalstamper.net)
is a specialized metal stamping process that allows fourslides to produce
complex stamped parts from strips and wires with multiple bends and
twists, as well as parts requiring bends greater than 90°. During
fourslide forming, sliding tools, regulated by cams, glide into the
metal blank from four directions at right angles to one another, bending
the metal around a vertical mandrel.
- (http://medical.metalstamper.net)
are metal stamped parts created specifically for use in the medical
industry.
-
(http://progressive.metalstamper.net)
utilizes several workstations, unlike the usual single workstation,
through which the sheet metal sequentially moves to complete multiple
operations of the stamping process.
- (http://shortrun.metalstamper.net)
produces between five and ten thousand pieces, and the cost of the
dies
themselves is greater than the cost of the parts produced. Labor costs
are higher
per piece, materials are more costly, setup time is greater and
other cost factors are higher in short run stamping than conventional
stamping,
because of the greater number of operations involved.
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