Cutting Operations Used with Metal Stamping Services in Minneapolis, MN

September 24th, 2015 · 4 Comments

Metal stamping production is a rather more general term than it would lead one to believe. The actual stamping and forming operations in the metal stamping industry are only a small part of the process for most metal engineering companies. At Thomas Engineering Company, our full selection of metal stamping services in Minneapolis, MN includes a range of value added, in-die, and subassembly services.

One set of operations vital to our metal stamping processes are all variations of metal cutting. Some basic cutting operations include:

Blanking generally means a piece of sheet metal is cut for further modifications. There are several variations of blanking, from the simplest undeveloped or semi-developed blank to the most complex fully-developed blank.

Trimming is also a common and necessary metal cutting operation. Trimming involves clipping off the edges of a fully or partially formed blank to give the edges their desired shape with minimal waste. In some cases, the trimmed scraps can be reused as blanks for smaller parts.

Piercing involves punching or stamping away pieces of a blank. The process is similar to blanking, but instead of saving the piece cut, the hole is saved and the “blank” is scrapped.

Shearing is similar to cutting with a pair of scissors. Of course, the shearing machine itself doesn’t look like giant scissors, but the physical operation and stress point on the metal is the same. Since shearing cuts along straight lines, this operation is used to cut simple, straight-edged blanks.

Lancing cuts metal from the blank without completely separating a section from the larger piece. This method slices or splits without leaving a wasted slug. In progressive stamping operations, lancing is used to create a part carrier, allowing the part to move freely in the forming die.

Notching cuts in the same way as trimming operations, but is used to leave curved or notched edges around a metal blank. This is most effective before the cut metal blank is formed.

Without these basic cutting operations, finalizing production with our precision metal stamping, sub-assembly, value added, or in-die forming services would be impossible. For more information on our cutting and metal stamping services in Minneapolis, MN, contact us at Thomas Engineering Company.

Tags: Metal Stamping ·


 

4 responses to “Cutting Operations Used with Metal Stamping Services in Minneapolis, MN”

  1. […] covered some of the basic cutting operations used here at TEC, but learning more about the operation as a whole can help you understand how this […]

  2. judy wilson says:

    My husband was just talking about how lancing is used for metal stamping, so I’m interested in learning more about it. I wasn’t sure what he meant about wasted slugs, but now I understand that this process allows metal to be cut more efficiently. Having a part carrier seems useful since it allows free movement in the forming die. Now, I feel that I can understand what my husband is talking about when he’s explaining metal stamping. Thanks for posting this!

  3. Braden Bills says:

    I’ve always been curious about how metal is treated. I think it’s interesting that it can be sheared! It’s cool that it’s basically super advanced scissors.

  4. I didn’t know that there were so many options of metal fabrication. All of these different cutting techniques would be very important to know when dealing with a machining job. If you were to know the names of the different cuts that you need to be done, it would be a lot easier to get the job done that you need.

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