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More from Thomas Vacca
- From The Fabricator
Ask The Stamping Expert: How can we prevent misfeeds?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Apr 2, 2018
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Stamping press misfeeds can be prevented. Thomas Vacca tells you how.
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: What are the best coatings to improve tooling life?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Feb 1, 2018
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: I have been in metal stamping for the automotive industry for many years. In addition to overall tolerances decreasing through the years, the quality requirements have also become so strict it is almost getting hard to stay in business. It takes three to four times more maintenance hours to run...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: How can I maximize parts per service?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Dec 8, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: We are stamping a relay spring from 0.008-inch-thick stainless steel. The part is about ¼ in. wide, 1.00 in. long, and stamped across the material grain out of 1.250-in.-wide stock. There are several bends over the length of the spring and holes on each end for staking. The operation runs 24/7....
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: Should we choose press speed based on productivity, or maintenance?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Oct 12, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: I work in a stamping facility in the Midwest. We have 40 high-speed stamping presses from 20 to 80 tons, with maximum speed of 800 strokes per minute (SPM). The actual speed at which the press should run is a constant battle between the toolroom supervisor and the production manager. The...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: Reducing press tonnage by staggering clustered punch length
- By Thomas Vacca
- Jun 30, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: I am punching 12-gauge stainless steel with a cluster of eight rectangular punches, 0.157 by 0.571 inch. I have calculated I’ll need 43 tons for flat-faced punches. How much do I have to stagger the length of the punches to be less than 22 tons?A: If all eight punches have the same cutting...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: Forming stainless steel foil
- By Thomas Vacca
- Jun 12, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: Can I form a rectangular cavity with stainless steel foil (such as 316SS or 321SS) that is 0.002 inch thick? The dimensions of the cavity are at least 12 by 12 in. and 0.5 to 1 in. deep. I need to keep a wrinkle-free flange about 0.5 in. wide around the cavity. We have successfully stretch...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: Which equation adds up to smooth strip feeding in progressive dies?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Mar 14, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: Many people believe that the feed height = passline height. But the way I learned it, feed height + lift height = passline height. If feed height + lift height = passline height and you feed the material, when the die closes, with the stock check open, the material will be pushed down by the...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: How do we fix our slug pulling problem?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Jan 11, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: We are developing what we thought would be a fairly straightforward stamping. We are blanking a rectangular shape, 2.15 by 2.35 inches and 0.004 in. thick, from 301 stainless steel. A simple, single punch blanks the part through the die chase in one shot. But as we brought up the stamping speed...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: The continuous improvement approach to die design
- By Thomas Vacca
- Dec 2, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
The “10 Die Design Laws,” which appeared in the September/October 2016 issue, are most effective when used along with a continuous improvement approach. At the end of every tool build and final development cycle, the die design team should review what went well and build on those strengths, but...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: The 10 laws of die design
- By Thomas Vacca
- Oct 10, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: Can you provide me with some guidelines for die design? A: When it comes to die design, I find there are two best practices to live by: Follow Tom Vacca’s 10 Die Design Laws. Use a die design continuous improvement check list. Following are my 10 Die Design Laws. Look to the...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: How do we prevent buckling in thin material during strip feeding?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Jul 6, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: We are trying to stamp a drawn cup from 0.002-inch-thick by 0.500-in.-wide fully annealed stainless steel on a Bruderer BSTA 22e high-speed press with an aluminum ball bearing die set and a Bruderer 198/85 roll feed. There are six draws, and all of the draw die bushings are carbide with steel...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: Five essential stamping rules for component designers
- By Thomas Vacca
- Jun 7, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Over the years I have received many requests from readers asking for suggestions and advice for particularly challenging stamping applications. Some of the issues can be addressed through creative tool design; some can’t. Some stampings by design make it virtually impossible to satisfy all the...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: How can we form holes smaller than the material thickness?
- By Thomas Vacca
- May 31, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: We are using a progressive die to make a part that is 3.770 inch in diameter with 45 holes, each 0.172 in. in dimeter, on a 3.514-in. bcd [basic center diameter]. Our customer has asked us to change the material from 0.080-in. half-hard copper to 0.240-in. half-hard copper. Now the hole is...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: How can I prevent slivers in blanking operations?
- By Thomas Vacca
- May 27, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: We are making shallow drawn cuts from 0.007-inch-thick aluminum base material with a thin polymer coating. The cups are assorted sizes from 0.375 to 0.75 in. and equal depths. We pierce the blank and use a Ballantine to carry it in the strip web through the draw operations, and finally we...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: How can I form titanium successfully?
- By Thomas Vacca
- Apr 15, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: We are getting more and more inquiries for components made of titanium. We have never worked with this material. Any advice? A: Titanium can be cold- or hot-formed on standard equipment using techniques similar to those used on stainless steels, but you need to consider two main issues: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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- May 16, 2024
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