Stamping is a manufacturing method that uses dies and presses to form metal sheets into the required shapes. The sheet is placed in a die and the press applies downward force; under pressure the metal deforms or is sheared, ultimately producing stable, mass-producible parts.
Common hardware components, structural brackets, automotive sheet metal, appliance housings, electronic metal parts, and the like often use stamping.
Principles of Stamping
Prepare the designed die.
Place the metal sheet into the die.
The press applies downward force, causing the sheet to deform, bend, or be cut according to the die constraints.
Common Stamping Process Categories
Shearing processes: cutting the material or punching away portions of metal
Punching: making holes in the sheet
Blanking: punching out the entire shape of a part
Cutting: segmenting material or separating scrap
Bending: changing the sheet's angle
Folding/Bending: forming the sheet into V, U, etc. shapes
Flanging / Hemming: turning up or rolling the edge to make the part safer or stronger
Forming: shaping the sheet into three-dimensional forms
Drawing: forming the sheet into deeper shapes
Shallow drawing: producing shallow concave parts
Deep drawing: making deep-cavity parts such as boxes or can bodies
Surface forming: deforming the surface locally without cutting the material
Embossing: pressing patterns or text
Flanging: raising the edge of a hole for fastening or reinforcement
Doming: locally bulging to form a specific contour
