Die Science: Busting Myths (Part II)

Myth 4—Tool and Die Designing and Building Are Art Forms

When I think of art, I think of someone painting or sculpting a project that is a reflection of some feeling, event, or location. A painter, for instance, most likely is not concerned whether the painting will “work”, as it often is an expressions of something inspired by motion.

Despite the fact that I have spend a great amount of time conducting numerous public and private conferences trying to portray the die building industry as science, about 90 percent of toolmakers still seem to refer to tool building designing and die building as art forms.

With all due respect to the fact that we, as tooling professionals, must be very creative in the way we design and build dies, that creativity mist stem completely from a good understanding of die physics. I certainly hope that none of you are welding and grinding your dies based on an “inspiration” that you had earlier in the morning.

Tool and die design and building are physics-based sciences that revolve around data. You stretch metal beyond its limits, and it will split. Art has nothing to do with it. Now, if after you create this precision die you decide to paint a portrait on the die shoe reflecting how you felt designing or building it, that’s art!

Show me art in a die, and I will show you physics. As tooling professionals, let’s focus on using physics creatively and leave the art out of it. Now, after you create this precision die you decide to paint a portrait on the die shoe reflecting how you felt designing or building it, that’s art!

Show me art in a die, and I will show you physics. As tooling professionals, let’s focus on using physics creatively and leave the art out of it. By the way, you may have noticed that the name of the column that I have been wring for STAMPING Journal for a few years is “ Die Science ,“ not “ Die Art .”

Myth 5— The Tool and Die Trade Is a Dying Career Path

In the last 25 years, I have seen the die building process evolve from a time when the diemaker was responsible for making a working die from a cart of raw tool steel, a die set, and blueprints to today, when a diemaker i really more of a die assembler.

Most die sections today are finish machined, contain all of the dole and screw holes, and are already hardened and ready to mount. The die sets often are fully machined as well. The diemaker’s responsibility is to put block A where block A goes, knock in the dowels, tighten the screws, and send it off to the press.

Although the role of the traditional tool- and diemaker has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, there still is a greta need for diemakers with good die engineering, tryout, and troubleshooting skills. Diemakers who have the necessary skills to make a die function properly are far more valuable to a company than a person who simply drills screw whole in too steel for a living. Die engineering, tryout, and troubleshooting require an in-depth understanding of sheet metal formability, as well as an incredible knowledge base of the thousands of possible variables that control the success of a stamping operation.

Today’s diemakers must use their talents by focusing them in a different direction. Rather than laying out die sections and worrying about where the screw holes go, diemakers must focus on how to make the die work after it is fully assembled.

Anybody can put holes in steel and mount die on a die set, but it takes a good die technician to make it work. Based on my assessment, these types of tool and die technicians are still in great demand.

Myth 6— Dies Make Parts, Presses Don’t

Here’s a fact: You can build a jewel of a die, but if you put that jewel in a glorified 200-ton trash compacter, you will make trash. The press is just as important as the tool.

Press characteristics such as ram-to-bed parallelism, deflection rate, tonnage distribution, and cushion condition greatly affect the success of the stamping operation. Some stampers try to compensate for severe slop in the press ram. The result is a short-lived industrial bandage at best.

The stamping process encompasses so much more than the die. Stamping success depends on the press, the die, the coil properties, the lubrication type and application, as well as the feeding and automation methods used. Problems with even one of these variables can cause failure.

I’m sure there are more myths to be busted out there. Don’t get caught up in believing everything you hear. Analyze the data that you’re given, and make your own decisions. After all, you are a die scientist.

Until next time… Best of luck!