Forming dies are typically made by tool and die makers and put into production after mounting into a press. The die is a metal block that is used for forming materials like sheet metal and plastic.
For the vacuum forming of plastic sheet only a single form is used, typically to form transparent plastic containers (called blister packs) for merchandise. Vacuum forming is considered a simple molding thermoforming process but uses the same principles as die forming. For the forming of sheet metal, such as automobile body parts, two parts may be used, one, called the punch, performs the stretching, bending, and/or blanking operation, while another part, called the die block, securely clamps the workpiece and provides similar, stretching, bending, and/or blanking operation. The workpiece may pass through several stages using different tools or operations to obtain the final form. In the case of an automotive component there will usually be a shearing operation after the main forming is done and then additional crimping or rolling operations to ensure that all sharp edges are hidden and to add rigidity to the panel.
Die components / Die block / Punch plate / Blank punch / Pierce punch / Stripper plate / Pilot / Dowel Pin / Back gage / Finger stop
Forming operations work by deforming materials like sheet metal or plastic using force (compression, tension, or both) and rely on the material’s mechanical properties. Forming dies are typically made by tool and die makers and put into production after mounting into a press.
For the vacuum forming of plastic sheet only a single form is used, typically to form transparent plastic containers (called blister packs) for merchandise. Vacuum forming is considered a simple molding thermoforming process but uses the same principles as die forming.
For the forming of sheet metal, such as automobile body parts, two parts may be used: one, called the punch, performs the stretching, bending, and/or blanking operation, while another part that is called the die block securely clamps the workpiece and provides a similar stretching, bending, and/or blanking operation. The workpiece may pass through several stages using different tools or operations to obtain the final form. In the case of an automotive component, there will usually be a shearing operation after the main forming is done. Additional crimping or rolling operations may be performed to ensure that all sharp edges are hidden and/or to add rigidity to the panel.
The main components of a die set (including press mounting) are as follows. Because nomenclature varies between sources, alternate names are in parentheses:
Die shoes (holders) – the set of flat, parallel plates that serve as the foundation for mounting die components.
Guide pins (pillars) – together with guide bushings, the pins align the die shoes precisely during each press stroke.
Die set (plates). Placement can be inverted depending on the operation, such as use of a knock-out:
Die block – the lower (bottom) half of the die set. Machined to conform to the desired shape of the workpiece being formed or cut.
Punch plate – the upper (top) half of the die set. Holds and supports the different punches in place.
Punch – male portion of the die which punches through the sheet metal and into the corresponding (female) section of the die block. More specifically:
Blanking punch – performs a dual-purpose operation where either a profiled slug, called the blank, is cut out and used for further working, or where a finished piece is cut free from the sheet metal.
Pierce punch – cuts a desired shape (circular, polygonal, etc.) out of the workpiece. The slug is discarded.
Stripper plate (pad) – spring-loaded plate that separates (i.e., strips) the workpiece from the withdrawing punch after each press stroke.
Pilot – This will help to place the sheet accurately for the next stage of operation.
Stock guide – ensures that the material being worked on always goes in the same position, within the die, as the last one.
Setting (stop) block – This part is used to control the depth that the punch goes into the die.
Shank – installs the punch plate to the press. It should be aligned and situated at the center of gravity of the plate
There is a wide dictionary of terms used to classify dies, some broader than others. At the highest level, dies can be separated by their function of either cutting or forming the stock material. Any die that removes, cuts, or shears material can be called a cutting die, regardless of its mechanism, while a die that doesn’t remove anything is a forming die.
This classification is a bit of an oversimplification, as some dies do combine cutting and forming functions. It’s also possible to go further with these types of groupings—considering coining dies separate from forming ones, for instance—but those distinctions are based on the process itself and can be seen as somewhat redundant.
Another useful way to classify dies is to consider what happens with each stroke of the press as a portion of the whole tooling process.
Simple Dies
A simple die, as its name suggests, only performs one cutting or forming action per stroke. These specialized machines can be cost-effective for simple designs, but they are far less efficient where multiple forming actions are necessary.
Compound Dies
Compound dies are designed so that a single stroke accomplishes multiple cutting and forming actions. Although combining operations can slow down the stroke, compound dies are more efficient over the course of the tool manufacturing process and minimize the chance of errors when transferring a workpiece between multiple stations. These dies are generally less costly than progressive dies.
Progressive Dies
Progressive dies offer one of the most efficient methods of accomplishing multiple operations on a single blank. Rather than performing operations simultaneously, however, the modifications occur at separate stations as a feeding mechanism continuously pushes metal into the die.
In this way, each stroke initiates multiple cutting or forming actions, but they are applied to different segments of the workpiece—each of which will become its own finished component. The final station removes a finished component from the longer workpiece, meaning that each stroke yields one or more parts even as others are in process.
Transfer Dies
Transfer dies resemble progressive dies, but they begin with pre-cut blanks that must be mechanically transferred between stations rather than using one continuously-fed strip of metal. Conveyor belts or transfer fingers often provide the transfer action. A transfer die allows for heightened efficiency even when working with larger parts or more complex parts that aren’t compatible with progressive die cutting.
Multiple Dies
A gang press or multiple die press is unique in that it creates multiple components with every stroke of the press. Typically, this requires several identical dies to be linked to the same control mechanism so that they can operate in sync with one another.
A die is a specialized machine tool used in manufacturing industries to cut and/or form material to a desired shape or profile. Stamping dies are used with a press, as opposed to drawing dies (used in the manufacture of wire) and casting dies (used in molding) which are not. Like molds, dies are generally customized to the item they are used to create.
Products made with dies range from simple paper clips to complex pieces used in advanced technology. Continuous-feed laser cutting may displace the analogous die-based process in the automotive industry, among others.
Metal stamping is a cold metal processing that applies pressure to the stamping die through a punch press machine to shape the iron material into the product parts.
Therefore, stamping processing requires stamping molds, which are indispensable equipment in production. The quality of stamping molds is positively related to processing, production efficiency and finished products.
The quality of the stamping die is crucial, it will highly affects in terms of production efficiency, lower maintenance rate and the quality of the product. With the low quality of the stamping die, will potentially occurs the risk of cracking or even collapse due to the high pressure.
Metal stamping is a cold metal processing that applies pressure to the stamping die through a punch press machine to shape the iron material into the product parts.
Therefore, stamping processing requires stamping molds, which are indispensable equipment in production. The quality of stamping molds is positively related to processing, production efficiency and finished products.
The quality of the stamping die is crucial, it will highly affects in terms of production efficiency, lower maintenance rate and the quality of the product. With the low quality of the stamping die, will potentially occurs the risk of cracking or even collapse due to the high pressure.
Die forming is a widespread sheet metal forming manufacturing process. The workpiece, usually a metal sheet, is permanently reshaped around a die through plastic deformation by forming and drawing processes.
Simulations can be carried out in order to avoid cracks, tears, wrinkles, too much thinning, and stretching. They are also useful to estimate and overcome the springback phenomenon: once the forming process is done and the forming tools are removed, the workpiece attempts to partially recover its initial shape through relaxation of the elastic stresses.
The springback can cause the formed blank to get an unexpected state of warping. To cope with this effect, it is possible to overbend the sheet. The die, the punch, and the blank holder must be manufactured to incorporate this effect. In this model, a flat metal sheet is pressed onto a curved die by a similarly shaped punch. Both the forming and the springback phenomena are modeled.
From a simulation point of view, the problem is severely nonlinear due to contact, geometric nonlinearity, and large plastic strains.
These dies differs from the Drawing dies as in forming dies the shape of die and punch is given to the blank sheet but applying force with Press Ram.
It can be anything like a simple profile complicated profile or a contour profile, but the method will be same . just to keep the blank sheet and to deformed with help of punch and die with same profile as per component.