Of all the metal forming process used today, deep drawing is certainly one of the most versatile. Products such as oil filters, cigarette lighters, medical battery casings, and automotive parts are made using this process, just to name a few. 1. What Is Deep Drawing? How is it Different From...

Splitting is perhaps one of the most common failures associated with drawing and stretching operations. Resolving the problem can be a daunting task, however, because literally hundreds of different variables can contribute to the problem. Finding and correcting the single variable or combination...

Of all the advancements in stamping over the last 20 years, the invention and use of forming simulation undoubtedly has had one of the greatest impacts on the way we design and engineer stamped parts and dies. When it was first introduced, you needed a computer that mimicked something from...

As a result of newly developed technology, such as presses that are both servo-driven and nearly vibration-free, higher production rates can be achieved than before. Just 15 years ago it was unheard of to expect a progressive die to run faster than 500 strokes per minute (SPM). Now it’s not...

One of the common problems I hear from tooling buyers is that the quotes they receive often are significantly different. It’s not unusual for one die shop to quote a job at $50,000 and another shop to quote $75,000 on the same tool. What are the differences between those two dies? Will the...

Wow! The last few years have been a whirlwind for the tool and die building and sheet metal stamping industries. New high-strength materials are being introduced; more and more tools are being built overseas; spring-back and part-cracking issues are at an all-time high. Over the last few years, I...

Ideal with many tool and die building shops in western Michigan and surrounding areas. Last year most of them managed to weather the storm and endure the financial hardships that resulted from the drastic downturn in the U.S economy, but they’re still looking for ways to become more competitive...

Quality icon W.Edwards Deming once said, “In God we trust; all others, bring data.” What a true and unshakable statement. My livelihood as consultant revolves around being able to do three basic things: collect, provide, and extract data. By extract, I mean to look to others more familiar with...

The stamping industry is evolving; materials are getting lighter and stronger, part geometries and tolerances are getting more difficult to achieve, and customers expect part costs to go down. Servo technology is one way that stampers can meet these daunting challenges. Servo Drive PressesThink...

I recently had an opportunity to train some young product designers. During this training session, one of the product designers brought me a print of a project he was working on. It was a contoured, deep-drawn part with many intricate features, and he had a lot of questions about the...

As a professional consultant, I find it both amusing and frustrating how many times dies are accused of being “bad.” Certainly, poor-quality dies exist. In my career I’ve seen dies that are well-engineered, precision tools, and I’ve seen dies that might as well have been made from sawdust...

All too often designers employ open wall angles simply because they’ve been told that they are easier to form than vertical walls. Although this statement may be true for many part geometries, it is certainly not true for all. Sometimes a draft angle can be desirable; other times it can be...

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is “What is the best tool steel?”To me, that’s like asking, “How long is a piece of string?” There is no “best” tool steel. To choose the appropriate tool steel for a given application, you need to consider all of the situations and...

Production stampers and die builders understand that the process of designing, building, troubleshooting, and maintaining a drawing die can be very difficult. Unlike metal cutting tools, drawing dies can take a great deal of time to develop, especially if the final part will be very deep and...

Selecting the proper blank size and profile often is critical to achieving a successful stamping process. Attempting to form a part’s geometry with the incorrect blank size or shape can result in splitting or excessive thinning. The blank shape also affects the consistency of the trim line...