Why Use Progressive Die Stamping?
If you need to produce metal parts, then you may have decided to use a stamping process. This is a common way to shape metal — you basically take a sheet and use dies to create the parts you need as they shape the metal to size.
At this stage, you'll need to decide which kind of stamping process to use. While some manufacturers favor multi-slide manufacturing where different dies work on the metal at the same time, there are advantages to using a progressive technique.
How does this kind of stamping work, and what are the benefits of using it?
What Is Progressive Die Stamping?
Progressive die stamping works kind of like a production line. This technique works incrementally to produce metal shapes and parts to a given specification.
You set up the press machine with all the dies you need to create a part. The metal then rolls along the press. As it passes under each die, the die does its particular job on the metal. So, one die might make a cut, the next might bend the part and the final one would cut it free of its holding sheet. At the end of the process, you have a fully-formed set of identical individual parts.
Why Use Progressive Die Stamping?
Some die-stamping processes take extra time. For example, if you have to set up individual presses to work on a part, then multiple setup and changeover times can delay your manufacturing speed.
Even a multi-stage technique might need additional stamping on a separate machine at the end of the process. If a part has a complex geometry or shape, then you may need to run it through a second press to finish it off.
One of the biggest advantages of using progressive die stamping is speed. You have one setup time on one press. Once everything is in place, the machine does all the stamping you need in one sweep. This is particularly useful if you're making a lot of parts and need them quickly.
This process could also save you money. The fact that you use one machine with a quicker setup reduces your manufacturer's labor time. You also use fewer materials and reduce wastage costs. Progressive stamping uses as much of the sheet as possible.
To find out more about progressive manufacturing techniques and how they could help you produce your parts quickly and at better rates, contact metal stamping companies.
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