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More from Art Hedrick
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Finding the right method for die shoe guidance
- By Art Hedrick
- Mar 7, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Choosing the proper guidance and heeling method is critical to the success of any stamping operation. Improperly guided and heeled die shoes may result in cutting and forming sections interfacing with the wrong clearances, severe deflection, and die damage. Guide Pin and Bushing BasicsGuide pins,...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Under pressure to find the best pressure pad
- By Art Hedrick
- Mar 7, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Pressure pads are critical to the success of a stamping operation. These pressure-loaded plates, either contoured or flat, perform the function of holding, stripping, or controlling metal during cutting or forming. Three Basic TypesAlthough there are many specialty pressure pads, they can be broken...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: The time and place for die polishing
- By Art Hedrick
- Mar 7, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
As a young apprentice tool- and diemaker, I was taught that when building a forming die for a drawing, stretching, or bending operation, all forming sections had to be polished to a mirror-like surface finish in the direction of metal flow. Not doing so would result in poor material flow, premature...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: 4 causes of poor strip feeding in progressive dies
- By Art Hedrick
- Mar 6, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Most stamping plants have experienced poor strip feeding in a progressive die. Not only can this problem cause great frustration, but it also can lead to die and press damage, poor quality, scrap, safety hazards, and downtime. Four potential causes usually are to blame. 1. Die Alignment The...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Drawing pad basics
- By Art Hedrick
- Mar 6, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
The drawing pad, otherwise known as the binder, blank holder, or pressure ring, is one of the most important components of a drawing and stretching operation. Its shape, thickness, deflection, and surface quality are critical features. In addition, the material it’s made from is crucial....
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Choosing between pressure pads and stripper plates
- By Art Hedrick
- Mar 6, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Many problems result from a poorly designed or completely absent pressure pad. In the May/June 2013 issue of STAMPING Journal, I discussed the characteristics of the three kinds of pressure pads. Now it’s time to review the pressure pad styles and see how they compare to stripper plates. Stripper...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Bridge strippers versus spring strippers
- By Art Hedrick
- Mar 6, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
A recent consultation job reminded me of the importance of selecting the best method for stripping cutting punches. It’s not that I haven’t seen similar problems in the past; rather it’s the simple fact that using the wrong type of stripper can result in catastrophic tool failure, as well as...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Understanding interactivity for difficult stampings
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 28, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
It’s no secret that the quality of a stamped part is influenced by numerous variables, including the mechanical ability of the material being stamped, the condition of the tooling and the press, the number of process steps being used, and the geometry of the dies. To truly solve a...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Thinking like sheet metal
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 28, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
If you have ever attended one of my public or custom on-site training courses, you’ve heard me emphasize the importance of understanding your sheet metal’s behavior before you try to cut or form it. Chances are that sometime during the course, I said, “You must think like the sheet metal or...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Diemaker or dieologist?
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 28, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
If you have ever attended one of my technical seminars, you know that I often use the word dieologist. Don’t waste any time trying to find it on the Internet, because you probably won’t. It’s a word that I made up and frequently use to define a diemaker who uses his or her knowledge of sheet...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: The basics of servo-drive presses
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 28, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
As materials change and the competition gets tougher, metal stampers must invest in technology that helps them to remain competitive. In stamping, efficiency is everything. Stampers must produce higher-quality parts in shorter cycle times using materials that often have poor formability. This is an...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: What really makes a press shop work?
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 24, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
As stampers, we often believe that purchasing new machines and investing in new technology are key to remaining competitive in the global market. Although keeping up with the latest equipment and techniques is very important, it’s not the only answer for having a successful stamping company....
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Opportunity knocks
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 24, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
When you think of the tool and die industry, you often think first of tool- and diemakers—people grinding die sections, reading engineered drawings, assembling dies, and trying out tooling. Although tool- and diemakers are critical to the diemaking process, many jobs are equally important to the...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: The influence of product design
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 24, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
I find it somewhat disheartening how often product designers fail to see the downstream effect of the decisions they make regarding the design of a stamped product. Poor tolerencing and part feature decisions cost the stampers and die builders any profit they may have realized. While I don’t want...
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Die costing and estimating
- By Art Hedrick
- Feb 24, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
One of the common complaints I hear from stampers is that tooling cost estimates differ significantly when they are requesting quotes. One would think that if every shop were quoting to the same die design standards, the tooling cost would be similar from each shop quoting, but that’s not the...
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/16/2024
- Running Time:
- 63:29
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s...
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