Progressive stamping die design skills

In today's manufacturing industry, there are several methods used for shaping metal components. Among all these technologies, metal stamping can be said to be the most cost-effective and popular metal processing method used by manufacturers.

Components manufactured using metal stamping undergo a variety of operations as they pass through various workstations. These processes include punching, extrusion, blanking, embossing, and notching. Each process has a different foundation, allowing administrators to mix and match to produce the highest quality products at the lowest possible price required for the sequence.

Understanding each process and the steps involved can help you:

- Avoid costly business mistakes

- Set appropriate expectations for budgets and delivery schedules

- Obtain high-quality components that enable products to operate with optimized functionality

Your metal stamping supplier, Dongguan Gao Lue - Precision Mold Metal Stamping Customization, will use two factors to determine whether they should use progressive die stamping for your product. These are:

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- The volume of parts required

- The complexity of each partThese factors form the basis for the construction and design of progressive dies (continuous molds). Each element that contributes to ensuring product quality, tool life, and tool maintenance must be carefully evaluated. At this stage, you will face moments when you have certain trade-off functions to optimize output, expenditure, and time.

Five tips for successful continuous mold design:

#1 – Determine the product's orientation:

The design of progressive dies largely depends on how the product or component moves through them. A challenging phase in progressive die (continuous mold) design is rotating the part along the metal strip. In most cases, rotating the component to optimize material is the only option. In other instances, you may need to compromise between component rotation and cam angles. This directly affects your continuous mold and tooling costs as well as the design.

Another factor in deciding the component's orientation is the lift required to transport the strip from one stage to another. However, you can design your continuous mold and tools so that the part rotates well, eliminating the need to lift it. Alternatively, you can also eliminate the need for a lifter when forming the part upwards. If the part forms in the opposite direction, you can make fine adjustments in material usage optimization, tool complexity, and excessive lifting.

Another factor to consider when shortening the material feed is the rotation of the component. If the lead is shorter, there are fewer issues and the operation is faster. If there is a significant difference between the width and length of your component, and if your progressive die has a shorter lead, your design will be more effective.

#2 – Determine the part's feeding method:

The way each component is carried will directly affect your perception of the raw material, whether the strip is lifted during the feeding process, and the quality and consistency of the output. Carrying components requires a specific configuration. Your other option is to place the part on one side of the strip. However, in this case, lifting the strip is more difficult. You will need to use a lifter at the center of the strip.Another option is to use a ladder-style to carry the components. This is more effective for complex components or components that require more lift. Engineers work on tool and die design, and must ensure the use of appropriate carriers to accomplish this task.

#3 – Pilot:

To determine the pilot in this step, engineers and die designers must consider the configuration and tolerance requirements of the customer and the project.

#4 – Ensure Blanking Plan:

The blanking plan is a fundamental component of progressive die design. It must include multiple factors, such as the weight of the component, the ejector pins, and the type of carrier used. Therefore, manufacturers must develop a blanking strategy from the outset to ensure the effectiveness of the progressive die design process.

#5 – Determine the Exact Number of Required Stations:

After completing the progressive die design, you should confirm the number of operations required for the project. If this is not done at the beginning and the number does not match, the final design may damage the mold you currently have. Complex progressive dies (progressive dies) automatically indicate that you need more operations. Similarly, if the design is simple, you can reduce the number of stations. If you need to add more workstations later, it may compromise the integrity of the progressive die.

Producing high-quality and cost-effective molds requires an in-depth understanding of:Sheet Metal Stamping Die Fundamentals

Basics of Progressive Dies

As molds become increasingly complex, decisions based on the foundation of mold design become more critical. When you strategically evaluate and weigh your options, you will ultimately achieve the best output. Your result will be a robust progressive die (continuous die) that you can easily maintain. This will produce consistent excellence in quality for every component.