Sheet Metal Working

DR PATIL S B
Associate Professor-Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering, Pune-411 005
[email protected]

Sheet Metal Working 1

 Introduction
• Chipless manufacturing process
• Associated with press machines
• Also called as cold stamping
• Working thickness- 0.4 to 6 mm
• Common advantages includes
– High strength
– Good dimensional accuracy
– Good surface finish
– Relatively low cost, suitable for mass production

Sheet Metal Working 2

 Sheet metal forming processes
• Shearing processes
Processes which apply shearing force to cut,
fracture or separate the material
• Forming processes
Processes which cause the metal to undergo
desired shape
• Finishing processes
Processes which are used to improve the final
surface characteristics

Sheet Metal Working 3

 Shearing processes

• Punching- the interior portion of the sheared sheet is to

be discarded.

• Blanking- the exterior portion of the sheared sheet is to

be discarded

• Perforating- punching a number of holes in a sheet

• Parting- shearing the sheet into two or more pieces

• Notching- removing pieces form the edges

• Lancing- leaving a tab without removing any material.

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Punching, Blanking and Perforating

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 Forming Processes

• Bending

Sheet Metal Working 6

 Forming Processes

• Stretching

Sheet Metal Working 7

 Forming Processes

• Drawing

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 Forming Processes

• Roll forming

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Shearing process

Sheet Metal Working 10

Shearing process…

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Mechanical Press

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Hydraulic Press

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 Specifications of Press
1. Press stroke- distance travelled by the ram from top to
bottom position.
2. Die space- The available surface for mounting the die and
punch components in the press.
3. Press tonnage- Capacity or rating of a press.
4. Number of strokes per minute- This indicates the speed
of ram to operate upon the workpiece.
5. Shut height –The distance from top of the bed to the
bottom of the ram, with its stroke down and adjustment
up.
6. Press adjustment- The distance through which the ram
can be lowered below its shut height position.
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Simple cutting die

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Clearance

Sheet Metal Working 16

Improper clearance in sheet metal cutting

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 Clearance
• Typical values range between 4% and 8% of
stock thickness
C = at
Where
C = clearance, a = allowance, t = stock thickness
• The clearance may also be determined with the
help of following relation
c = 0.0032 t (fs)0.5mm
Where fs= shear strength of the work piece in
N/mm2
Sheet Metal Working 18
Die and punch sizes in blanking

Sheet Metal Working 19

 Clearance in blanking and piercing

Die size determines blank size Db

Punch size determines hole size Dh
Clearance = c
- For a round blank of diameter Db
Blanking punch diameter = Db- 2c
Blanking die diameter = Db
- For a round hole of diameter Db
Hole punch diameter = Db
Hole die diameter = Db + 2c

Sheet Metal Working 20

 Sheet penetration

The distance which the punch enters into the

work material to cause rupture to take place is
called penetration and is usually given as
percentage of the stock thickness.
When a hard and strong material is being cut,
very little penetration of the punch is necessary
to cause fracture. The percentage penetration
also depends on the sheet thickness, being
smaller for thicker sheets and greater for thinner
sheets
Sheet Metal Working 21
 Percentage penetration and material
thickness

Stock 25 20 15 12.5 10 8 6 5 3 2.5 1.6 Bel

thickne ow
ss in 1.6
mm
Penetra 25 31 34 37 44 47 50 56 62 67 70 80
tion %
of
thickne
ss

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 Cutting force

Cutting force = F = fstL

Where
fs= Shear strength of material
t = Stock thickness
L = Length of cut edge or perimeter of the
cut.

Sheet Metal Working 23

 Cutting force

• When the size of the hole to be punched is smaller than

the thickness of the sheet the above equation is found
to be erroneous results because of such small
diameters, shear is not the most active force. A more
appropriate formula in such case is
dtf t
F 
3
d
t
• Where ft is the tensile strength of the material.

Sheet Metal Working 24

 Work done in shearing operation

• The work done for the shearing operation can be

obtained from
Work done = F X p X t
Where
F- Maximum punch load
P- penetration or the fraction of the depth to which the tool
sinks into the metal before cracks run into each other.

• Typically value of p range from 17% for partially cold

worked aluminum to around 50% for annealed steel.

Sheet Metal Working 25

 Effect of shear angle on punch
• Function of shear: Shear is provided on the punch to
reduce the forces required on the punch often to
accommodate the operation on a lower capacity
machine available in the shop.
• Purpose of shear- The purpose of the shear is to
distribute the shearing action over a period of time so
that the punch does not contact the work piece over its
entire length at the same time. The provision of shear, as
mentioned earlier does in effect the total work required to
complete the shearing operation.
• The total work done in shearing with or without the
shear is the same. The total travel of the punch to
complete the operation in however increased with the
provision of shear. Sheet Metal Working 26
 The stripping force
• In general, stripping forces may vary from 2.5% to 20%
of the punch force but 5 to 10% is quite satisfactory in
most cases.
The stripping force is calculated as
Fs= kLt
Where
Fs= Stripping force
k= Stripping constant depending upon the material and size
and location of the cut
L= Perimeter of the cut
T= Stock thickness

Sheet Metal Working 27

 The stripping constant (k)
Stock material Stock Cut K
thickness

Carbon steel < 1.5 mm At the edge or 0.0103

near a
preceding cut

< 1.5 mm 0.0145

˃ 1.5 mm 0.0207

Harder material 0.0241

Sheet Metal Working 28

 Minimum diameter that can be punched
• In order for a punch to be able to pierce a sheet, the
compressive strength of the punch should be at least
equal to the force required to shear the material. Thus if
fs is the shear strength of the material and ft is the
compressive strength of the punch material then,
πdtfs= π/4d2ft
4 fst
d
ft

• If ft is assumed to be equal to be 2fs

4 f st
d  2t
2 fs
Sheet Metal Working 29
Strip layout

Sheet Metal Working 30

Strip layout nomenclature

Sheet Metal Working 31

 Strip layout…
• The distance between the blank and the edge of strip
known as back scrap may be determined by equation
a = t + 0.015 h
• b depends on thickness of the sheet
For t= 0.8 mm; b= 0.8 mm, 0.8-3.2; b=t, over 3.2; b= 3.2 mm
• The feed or advance or length of one piece of sheet
needed to produce one blank is s = w + b
• The number of blanks which can be produced from one
length of sheet can be found as N= L-b/s
• Scrap remaining at the end of one length of strip may be
calculated as y = L- (Ns + b)

Sheet Metal Working 32

 Principles of die design

1. Screws
• Components of dies are held together using
socket head cap screws.
• Cap screws that are used to hold die
components are counter bored and 1/8 inch
deeper than the cap screw head.
• Normally, screws of diameter 3/8 inch are sued
for die components up to 6 square inch and
screws of diameter ½ to 5/8 inch are adopted
for heavy die components.
Sheet Metal Working 33
Application of screw

Sheet Metal Working 34

 Principles of die design

2. Dowel
• Dowel provides and maintains accurate
positioning of the component; it avoids
misalignment.
• Screws and dowels should be placed near to
the outer edge of the die block as far as
possible from the blanking contour.
• Dowel holes extrude through the die
components so that dowels can easily
removed.
Sheet Metal Working 35
 Principles of die design

3. Die block
• The design of the block depends on work piece
size and thickness.
• The die blocks are made from tool steel
• The distance between the die opening and
outside edge of the block should be 1.25 times
the thickness of the die block for smaller dies
and 1.5 to 2 times for the larger dies.

Sheet Metal Working 36

 Principles of die design

Strip thickness Die block

(Inch) thickness
(inch)
Up to 1/16 ¾ to 1
1/16 to 1/8 1 to 9/8
1/8 to 3/16 9/8 to 11/8
3/16 to 1/4 11/8 to 13/8
Over 1/4 13/8 to 2

Sheet Metal Working 37

 Principles of die design

3. Punch
The design of the punch depends up on the area to
be blanked or pierced.
It should withstand the maximum blanking or
piercing pressure.
Basic four types-
1. Plain punch
2. Pedestal punch
3. Perforator punches
4. Punches mounted in punch plate
Sheet Metal Working 38
 Principles of die design

3. Plain Punch
This type of punch is economical and easy to
operate.

It is a simple block of hardened tool steel.

The shape of punch depends upon the required

profile.

Sheet Metal Working 39

Plain Punch

Sheet Metal Working 40

 Principles of die design

3. Pedestal Punch
These are constructed by machining in a way that
leaves a flange around the base of the punch.

Its base area is larger than its cutting area.

Pedestal punches are advantageous because of

large base and solid construction and hence
stable.

Sheet Metal Working 41

Pedestal Punch

Sheet Metal Working 42

 Principles of die design

4. Punch support

Sheet Metal Working 43

 Principles of die design
5. Punch shedders
The slug and blank sticks to the punch face and
comes out with punch during blanking and piercing
operation.
The sticking can be avoided or reduced by using
shedder pins .
Shedder pins break the bond between face and
slug. It is located at the centre of the punch.
The use of shedder pin is limited only for punches
greater than 3/32 inch, concave shear may be
provided on the face of the punch
Sheet Metal Working 44
 Principles of die design
6. Pilots
The main purpose of a pilot is to position the stock
accurately.
Pilots also bring the stock strip into proper position
for blanking and piercing simultaneously.
Pilots also prevents Buckling of strip.
Diameter of pilot is generally 0.002 to 0.003 inch
smaller than punch diameter for average work and
0.0005 to 0.001 inch smaller tan punch diameter
for precision work.
Pilots can be direct , indirect and spring loaded
pilots
Sheet Metal Working 45
 Principles of die design
7. Strippers
The main purpose of stripper is to remove the
stock from punch after blanking or piercing
operation.

Stripper can be classified as

- Fixed stripper
- Spring operated stripper
- Channel stripper

Sheet Metal Working 46

 Principles of die design

Channel type fixed stripper

Sheet Metal Working 47

 Principles of die design

Spring operated stripper

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 Principles of die design
8. Stock stops and automatic stops
The device by which the strip has to be advanced
after each blanking is called stock stops.
sometimes dowel pin is used as a stock stop.
after each stroke of the press, an edge of
previously blanked hole is pushed against a dowel
pin.
To release the strip from the pin, enough clearance
is provided in a strip channel to allow the stock to
be lifted above the pin during upward stroke of the
press.

Sheet Metal Working 49

 Principles of die design
Trip stop
The pawl rises on ratchet as the stock is fed forward
manually. The pawl drops and positions the stock
accurately against the vertical surface of the pawl after
the stock is pulled by operator.

Sheet Metal Working 50

 Principles of die design
Shoulder stop
It is widely used on progressive dies especially when last
operation is cut off or trimming. When work piece has
same width as the stock and feeding is from one side
and scrap is not passing through other side, a shoulder
stop is use to use.

Sheet Metal Working 51

 Principles of die design
Automatic stop
It uses pin-ended finger. On the forward stroke, the pin
of finger is lifted by trip screw. The pin end of finger is
dripped onto the top surface of the stock during return
stroke.

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 Types of dies
• Cutting dies
blanking, piercing, notching, trimming etc dies
• Forming dies
drawing, bending, squeezing etc dies
• Based on the method of operation
– Simple dies
– Compound dies
– Combination dies
– Progressive dies
– Transfer dies…..

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 Progressive die
• It performs two or more operations in one stroke of a ram
at different stages. First operation is punching and
followed by blanking.

Sheet Metal Working 54

 Combination die
• In combination die, cutting action is combined with non-
cutting actions i.e. forming.

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 Centre of pressure
• When the irregular shape blank is to be cut, then the
summation of shear forces about the centre line of press
ram is not symmetrical. Hence, bending moment will be
introduced in the press ram because of which
undesirable deflection and misalignment are produced.
So to avoid this, centre of pressure of the shearing
action of the die must be found.

l1 x1  l 2 x 2  l3 x3 l1 y1  l 2 y 2  l 3 y 3
X  Y 
l1  l 2  l 3 l1  l 2  l 3

Sheet Metal Working 56

 Bending
.

Sheet Metal Working 57

 V-Bending
.

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 Edge Bending
.

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 Bending die design
• . a) Bend radius (rb)
It is the radius of curvature on inside surface of
the bend. If the bend radius is too small, then
cracking of a material on the outer surface takes
place. To prevent any damage to punch and die,
the bend radius should not be less than 0.8 mm.

Sheet Metal Working 60

 ut

Bending die design

b) Bend allowance (B)
To calculate blank length for bending, the length of the
material in the curved section has to be calculated.
B= α(r + kt)
Where, B= Bend allowance along the neutral axis
α= Bend angle in radians
r= Inside bend radius
kt= Distance of neutral axis from inside surface of the
bend
= 0.33 t when R < 2t
= 0.5 when R ˃ 2t, where t – thickness

Sheet Metal Working 61

 Bending die design
c) Bending force or bending pressure
Bending force depends on the stock thickness, bend
length, die opening width and type of bend
For V- bending the relation is given by K .l. .t 2
ut
F ,N
w
Where, l= Length of bend, mm, ut = Ultimate tensile
strength, N/mm2 , t= Blank thickness
K= Die opening factor varies from 1.2 to 1.33 (For U
bending K is 0.67), w= Width of die opening, mm
Generally w= R1+R2+ C
Where, R1= Punch edge radius, R2= Die edge
radius C= Clearance= t
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Drawing

Sheet Metal Working 63

Drawing

Sheet Metal Working 64

 Clearance in Drawing
Sides of punch and die are separated by a
clearance c given by
c= 1.1 t

In other words, clearance is about 10%

greater than stock thickness.

Sheet Metal Working 65

 Tests for Drawing feasibility
i. Drawing ratio (DR)
Drawing ratio can be most easily defined for
cylindrical shape as

Where Db = Blank diameter

Dp = Punch diameter
Upper limit DR ≤ 2.0

Sheet Metal Working 66

 Maximum drawing ratio

Thickness ratio 0.15 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 ˃0.5

Drawing ratio D/d 1.43 1.54 1.67 1.82 1.9 2.0

Sheet Metal Working 67

 Tests for Drawing feasibility
ii. Reduction (r)

Reduction can be most easily defined for

cylindrical shape as

The value of r should be less than 0.5.

Sheet Metal Working 68

 Tests for Drawing feasibility
iii. Thickness-to-diameter ratio (t/Db)
It is the ratio of thickness of starting blank
divided by blank diameter.

The ratio is desirable to be greater than 1%. As

the ratio decreases, tendency for wrinkling
increases.

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 Design of Drawing die
a) Radius of draw die (rd)
If the draw die radius is too small, the flow of metal
resistance increases resulting in cutting of the metal.
If the draw radius is too large, it produces wrinkles in
the metal. Hence, draw die radius is generally 4 to
10 times of the blank thickness.

b) Punch radius (rp)

The edges of the punch must be rounded to avoid
cutting or tearing of the metal. Hence punch radius
should be at least 4 times the blank thickness.
Sheet Metal Working 70
 Design of Drawing die
c) Draw clearance (C)

To avoid jamming of the blank between the

punch and die, the side clearance between
punch and die should be more than the stock
thickness. Generally draw clearance is taken
1.25 times of the stock thickness.

Sheet Metal Working 71

 Design of Drawing die
d) Blank size calculation
Blank size calculation is the first step in the drawing process. While
calculating, it is assumed that blank surface area is equal to the
surface area of the finished shell. When the shell has sharp inside
corners, it is calculated as 2
D  d  4dh
Where, D= Flat blank diameter, d=Finished shell diameter
h= Height of the finished shell.
The above relation is applicable when d/r ≥ 20, where r= is the radius of
the bottom corner.
When d/r is in between 15 to 20, 2
D  d  4dh  0.5r
the relation becomes
When d/r is in between 10 to 15, 2
the relation becomes D  d  4dh  r
Sheet Metal Working 72
 Number of draws

Height to diameter Number of draws

(h/d) ratio
Up to 0.7 1
0.7 – 1.5 2
1.5 – 3.4 3
3.4- 7 4

Sheet Metal Working 73

=

Drawing force
,N

The force required to draw a shell is given by, N

D 
F  dt y   C 
d 
Where d = Finished shell diameter
t = Blank thickness
 y = Yield strength
D = Blank diameter
C = Constant varies between 0.6 to 0.7.

Sheet Metal Working 74

=

Blank holding force

,N

• Blank holding force is generally 33 to 40% of the

drawing force.

Sheet Metal Working 75