What Is Sheet Metal Punching?
Sheet metal punching is a cutting process that uses a die and a punch press to cut holes into metal sheets or to obtain desired shapes from sheet metal workpieces. When using a punch to obtain a sheet metal part with a particular profile, the process is called blanking. Both punching and blanking are effective methods for quickly processing sheet metal parts.
What Does Sheet Metal Punching Look Like?
In sheet metal punching, a flat metal sheet is fed into the punching press in which a die lowers and cuts the desired profile into the workpiece. Figure 2 below shows a sheet metal punch press:
Sheet metal punch press.
How Does Sheet Metal Punching Work?
Sheet metal punching works similarly to sheet metal stamping in that the die and punch press lower and exert force into the metal workpiece to remove material. If the stress induced by the punch is higher than the shear strength of the workpiece, then the material will be removed. The primary difference between sheet metal punching and sheet metal stamping is the die used for sheet metal punching. A sheet metal punching die is simpler compared to a stamping die as a punching die’s purpose is to only cut a hole into the sheet metal workpiece.
Why Use Sheet Metal Punching?
Sheet metal punching is perhaps the cheapest manufacturing technique for creating holes and other profiles in small or large volumes of sheet metal parts. Multiple holes or profiles can be cut into or from a sheet metal workpiece in a single process which makes it an economical sheet metal fabrication technique. Additionally, the simplicity of the punching tooling compared to stamping tooling makes it a viable technique for prototyping, in addition to small and large production volumes.
What Are the Different Applications of Sheet Metal Punching?
Sheet metal punching is used in many industries—from electronics and automotive to architecture and furniture. Applications of sheet metal punching include: hole creation in electronic panelings and connections, automotive chassis and brackets, furniture, and architectural trim pieces.
What Machine Is Used for Sheet Metal Punching?
A punch press equipped with a punch and die set is the primary machine used for sheet metal punching.
What Are the Materials That Work Best With Sheet Metal Punching and Sheet Metal Stamping?
Both sheet metal stamping and punching work well with metal materials like: mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and copper.
What Are the Advantages of Sheet Metal Punching?
Sheet metal punching has many advantages which are listed below:
Cost-effective: Because of the simplicity of punch dies compared to stamping dies, punching is generally more economical for simpler designs and smaller production runs.
High-speed Production: Multiple holes or profiles can be cut in a single process which enables efficient, high-speed production of sheet metal products.
Minimal Material Waste: As with metal stamping, material utilization rates are high with sheet metal punching. Therefore, manufacturers can maximize the number of products they can generate from a single piece of sheet metal stock.
Consistency: Sheet metal punching is an easily repeatable process and ensures consistency in the shapes created by the process.
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