METAL STAMPING DIE TERMINOLOGY

Blankholder - a mechanism that prevents a blank from moving during a draw process

Bolster plate - a plate attached to the press bed that locates and holds the die shoe in place.

Die button - also called a die bushing, is a tube or sleeve that makes the opening for a piercing punch. The slug passes through the die button.

Die retainer - A hardened steel block that contains the impressions or cavities that shape the part as the punch descends, and also holds the die button.

Die shoe - also referred to as a die holder. A lower die shoe is the lower plate of a die set that supports the die retainer and die button. The upper die shoe is the upper plate of a die set that secures the punch retainer.

Guide post (or guide pins) - a steel rod positioned in the lower die shoe that fits into a bushing in the upper die shoe to guide the punch during operation, allowing precise alignment. The guide post bushing is a steel tube that directs the upper die shoe.

Knock out - A punch that ejects the part in a form die.

Lifter - a feature that lifts the part stock over lower tooling features as the stock is conveyed through a progressive die.

Pilot - a long slender punch that enters the part stock before other tools form the metal, to assure station to station alignment.

Pressure Pad - a metal pad or plate loaded with a gas spring or high pressure coils. A pressure pad is used to tightly hold metal being processed to the lower die shoe before the forming punch strikes.

Punch - the tool attached to the upper die set that forms or penetrates the part stock

Punch retainer - a device used to mount the punch on the upper die shoe.

Secondary operations - treatments performed after the initial metal stamping process. Cleaning, heat treating, plating or deburring.

Stop block - a block used to act as a reference point for the height of the tool set up.

Stripper plate - a thin plate designed to surround a punch that strips the scrap from the punch.

METAL STAMPING TECHNIQUES

BLANKING DIE

A blanking die is a very simple die that produces a flat piece part with no holes. The die cuts the desired periphery shape in one operation. Blanking dies are capable of producing very accurate and flat parts. The part produced in a blanking die is referred to as a blank. The blank is often used in subsequent operations such as forming.

FORMING DIE

A forming die performs bending and forming operations on a piece part. Typically a forming die uses a pre-cut blank, and often has a means of accurately locating and holding the part in position during the forming operation in order to produce consistent parts. Forming dies can range from a single bend to complex multi-axis dies that perform many bends and forms simultaneously.

EMBOSS DIE

An emboss die is somewhat similar to a forming die, except that the die compresses the blank in a confined area. The compression allows malleable metal to emboss, or raise, into a form. The process allows for raised features on one side of the blank, as in a coin, and a flat or reverse image surface on the back.

PIERCE DIE

A pierce die punches holes, either round or shaped, into a part. Pierce dies only punch internal features. Typically the part’s periphery shape has already been cut with a blank die, lazer cutting machine, or some other method.

CUT OFF DIE

A cut off die removes excess material from the end of a part. Can also be used to cut uniform lengths of strip material to be used in another process or operation.

TRIM DIE

A trim die is generally the last operation, removing excess or irregular material from a part.

COMPOUND DIE

A compound die cuts a part’s internal holes and outer periphery shape at the same time with one press stroke. A compound die yields very accurate part size as well as excellent hole to periphery relationship.

DRAW DIE

A draw die is a type of forming die where the piece part undergoes severe plastic deformation and the part is “drawn” into a die cavity. A one piece metal cup would be an example of a drawn part. More difficult, deeper drawn parts are often made with a series of draw dies. Each subsequent die forces more material into the die cavity, making it possible to draw deeper than a single hit draw die. This method is called deep drawing.

SIDE CAM DIE

A side cam die uses conventional die methods (piercing, forming, etc.,) but can perform these operations at virtually any angle. The slide cam drivers are used to convert vertical punch press motion to the desired angled or horizontal motion.

STAGE TOOLING

Stage tooling is a sequential set of dies, each performing a single operation on a part. Stage tooling is typically comprised of some combination of a blanking die, forming die, cut off die, piercing die, coining die, and/or a trim die. It is sometimes possible for stage tooling to be flexible enough to be used for more than one part. Stage tooling can be cost effective for small quantity part needs.

PROGRESSIVE DIE

A progressive die contains a series of process stations in a single die. The part material is advanced through the press in precise increments, with each individual station performing it’s operation simultaneously with each stroke of the press. The last station separates the part. Progressive dies are often used to produce complex parts. For producing large quantities of parts at a rapid pace, a progressive die can be more economical than stage tooling.

Tool and Die Making

Industrial art of manufacturing stamping dies, plastics molds, and jigs and fixtures to be used in the mass production of solid objects. The making of dies for punch presses constitutes most of the work done in tool and die shops, and most such pressworking dies are used in the manufacture of sheet-metal parts such as the panels of an automobile body.


Mold
In biology, a conspicuous mass of mycelium and fruiting structures produced by various fungi . Molds of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Rhizopus are associated with food spoilage and plant diseases, but some have beneficial uses, as in the manufacture of antibiotics and certain cheeses. Neurospora, or orange bread mold, has been invaluable in the study of biochemical genetics. Water molds live in fresh or brackish water or wet soils, absorbing dead or decaying organic matter.

jigs and fixtures
Components of machine-tool installations, specially designed in each case to position the workpiece, hold it firmly in place, and guide the motion of the power tool . Jigs can also be guides for tools or templates, as in the furniture industry. Special cramping jigs that ensure squareness are set up so that, for example, a wardrobe can be glued up in one operation by power-driven rams.


punch press
Machine tool that changes the size or shape of a piece of material, usually sheet metal, by applying pressure to a die in which the workpiece is held. The form and construction of the die determine the shape produced on the workpiece. A punch press has two components: the punch, which is attached to the reciprocating ram of the machine; and the die, which is clamped onto a bed or anvil whose flat surface is perpendicular to the path of the ram. The punch pushes against the workpiece, which is held in the die. Punch presses are usually driven by electric motors.

CNC Metal Cutting

There are a variety of different CNC machines that offer the ability of metal cutting. You can use a lathe, a plasma cutter, and even a router. The machine that you will want to use will depend solely upon the job that will need to be performed, the specifications and diagrams of the job and the type of material that will be used. Some machines are better with different types of materials. For example, a lathe may be able to cut brass, however, what about 6" steel? As you can see, there is a difference in the capabilities of the machines and what type of materials that can be used so that the job is performed to the right specifications.
CNC plasma cutting machines offer the ability to cut through metal using heat. The CNC machine offers more precise cuts that what one can do manually. Large projects that are repetitive can be produced in a shorter period of time. The plasma cutters are usually available as portable devices or as stationary devices.
CNC water jet cutting is just another form of metal fabrication machines that can offer precise and detailed cuts. The water jet cutting machines offers nesting capabilities that allow for very little waste of expensive materials. You can produce repetitive products or cut several different products out of the same piece of material. When the piece is finished, you can guarantee that you will have a clean, smooth edge that is cut to the right specifications.

CNC laser cutting machines offers clients another form of metal cutting or fabrication. This machine creates what is known as "shaker" parts because the machine leaves a little piece of metal that connects each piece that has been cut. After the entire piece of material has been used, someone manually has to either shake the sheet to get the individual parts to break off of the large sheet or use a rubber mallet to break the ties. Because of the use of nitrogen and oxygen with the laser cutting machine, one can guarantee that the parts are smooth and professional and that there is no metal slap left over after the process is complete. CNC laser cutting offers extreme accuracy and cost efficiency for every project.

No matter what type of CNC cutting machine that is being used, these machines are usually self contained units and can eliminate, by themselves, a lot of safety issues. However, one still needs to practice safety techniques around these machines as they can still be dangerous. Wearing safety goggles, gloves and possibly earplugs are just a few easy safety tips that you can take advantage of.
The self contained machines leave little mess, hardly any worries of debris or dust particles in the air, etc. They are definitely a step above the former manual machines that were use in this industry.