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Stamping
Staff (http://www.engineering.com/Author/ID/8/TheEngineer) posted on October 23, 2006 | 1 Comment
(https://www.engineering.com/Blogs/tabid/3207/ArticleID/143/categoryId/11/Stamping.aspx#disqus_thread)

Stamping is a process in which thin walled metal parts are shaped by punches and dies. The punches and dies are
mounted on mechanical or hydraulic presses and they perform two functions during the stamping process: shearing
and bending. Mechanical presses utilize a ywheel to store the energy required for the stamping operation. The
ywheel runs continuously and is engaged by a clutch only when a press stroke is needed. The drawback of
mechanical presses is the driving force varies with the length of the stroke. Hydraulic presses use pressurized oil acting
against one or more pistons to drive the punch and die on the press. It is capable of providing full force of the
hydraulically driven piston over the entire length of the stroke. However, hydraulic presses are slow compared to
mechanical presses. Most stamping operations are carried out on high-speed mechanical presses even though they

are more expensive than hydraulic presses.

Stamping operation can be done at either a single die station or multiple die stations using progressive dies.
Progressive dies is often use when the part contains closely spaced features or if they have bend angle greater than

90°. They can also reduce die wear and decrease the amount of spring back (thus improves geometric accuracy). The
disadvantage of progressive die is they require multiple stations, which requires more space to accommodate

additional presses.

In order to minimize die cost, the following guideline should be followed while designing parts for stamping

manufacturing process:

Minimize the number of distinct features in a part.

Avoid closely spaced feature.

Avoid the use of narrow cutouts and narrow projections.

Minimize the number of bend stages in a part.

Bend angles greater than 90° should be avoided if possible.

Avoid side action feature.

 
Investment Casting

Investment casting is sometimes called lost wax process where a ceramic mold is used to form the desired part. In

order to fabricate the ceramic mold, a metal mold is made by machining or casting. Wax is then injected into the mold
and is removed after it cools. The wax, which resembles the desired part, is then coated with ceramic slurry in several

layers. The completed ceramic slurry is placed in a furnace to harden and the wax removed by melting and

evaporation. The desired part is made by lling the mold cavity with molten metal. After solidi cation, the mold is

destroyed and the part removed. Investment casting is capable of surface nishes such that machining is not generally
required.

Investment cast parts can be made of steel because the ceramic mold can withstand the high temperature of molten

steel. It is used when low production volumes are expected.

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Die-Casting

Similar to injection molding, die-casting injects a melt into a metal mold. The melt then allowed to cool and solidify in

the mold. The cost of the mold increase as the part geometry becomes more complex. The cycling time required
increase as the wall thickness increase because more time is needed for solidi cation. Parts that contain undercuts are

not generally die cast because they are di cult to remove from the mold. Since the molds used in die-casting are

made of steel, only metals with relatively low melting temperatures can be used. There are two types of die casting
machines: a hot chamber machine and a cold chamber machine. A hot chamber machine has its injection mechanism
submerged in the molten metal and it can be used for part made with alloys with lower melting temperature that does

not chemically attack the submerged injection mechanism. Because the injection mechanism is constantly subjected to
high temperatures, it tends to shorten the life of hot chamber machines. Cold chamber machine is sometimes used,
especially when producing parts with higher melting temperatures. In a cold chamber machine, molten metal is stored

in a separate furnace and the machine barrel is lled upon mold closure. The plunger in the barrel then forces the melt
into the mold to form the part.

 
Forging

The forging process involves deforming a hot work piece with dies attached to a mechanical or hydraulic press. Forging
is used to produce some of the highly stressed parts in tools and aircraft because forged parts have high resistance to

shock and fatigue. Since forged parts are plastically deformed, they are stronger and more ductile than parts produced
with die-casting.
 

Machining

Machining is a part removal process in which small chips are removed from a solid work piece to obtain the desire

dimension and geometry. Machining is not a economical process because it is relatively slow when compared to other
manufacturing process such as forging. The process also creates a great deal of scrap material, which increases cost as
more raw materials are needed. In most cases, machining is used to improve the tolerances or surface nish of part

made by other processes. Some examples of machining methods are:

Lathes: Lathes are used to produce cylindrical exterior or interior surfaces. The work piece is mounted onto the spindle

and rotates while the cutting tool is fed into the work piece. Lathes can also be used to product screw threads
(threading) with the appropriate cutting tool.

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Milling machines can be used to form slots, angles, concave and convex contours on the surface of the work piece.

Unlike lathes, the cutting tool is rotated and the work piece is fed into the tool in a milling machine.

Milling

Milling machines can be used to form slots, angles, concave and convex contours on the surface of the work piece.
Unlike lathes, the cutting tool is rotated and the work piece is fed into the tool in a milling machine.

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