What To Look For in Heavy Metal Blanking
Blanking is a production technique in which a metal workpiece is removed from the sheet when it is punched to form a blank. It has the same process as forming, but the sheet metal is deformed plastically by dies and punches without removing material. In addition, forming dies are often utilized to create a metal sheet; blanking dies are one of many types that aid in forming these products.
Many industries rely on metal blanking because of its repeatability and cost-effectiveness. Thus, experience and accuracy are necessary for providers of this fabrication service.
Ohio Valley specializes in metal blanking and has the knowledge, experience, equipment, and competency to perform blanking operations on iron, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and specialty alloys.
Characteristics of Materials Used in Heavy Metal Blanking
When eyeing metal blanking, material selection should be the top priority. First, thoroughly analyze the characteristics of heavy metals to determine which is suitable for your project and anticipate any issues the product may experience when the wrong material is used.
Here are some of the common materials’ characteristics:
Ductility
A material’s flexibility is measured by how easily it can be stretched. For instance, stainless steel has higher ductility than aluminum. This characteristic is important in formability because brittle materials cannot be properly shaped without breaking and may fail to produce the product you desire.
Machinability
Machinability describes a material’s capacity to be sliced by a blade. Highly machinable metals can be cut rapidly. On the other hand, materials with low machinability are more difficult to process, take longer to manufacture, and need more work to attain an acceptable surface finish quality. For example, in choosing a material, steel is highly machinable compared to stainless steel.
Tensile Strength
This characteristic will determine how much force is required to cut your chosen material. For instance, stainless steel can withstand extremely high force; aluminum cannot. Still, strength is only one of several features to consider when selecting a material for a project, and aluminum has many characteristics that make it a viable competitor alongside steel.
Plasticity
The material should have high plasticity to allow stamping deformation and enhance the quality of the items. Materials with high plasticity can achieve higher section quality throughout the separation process because they can withstand considerable deformation, reducing the need for intermediate annealing and stamping operations.
Quality Surface
When blanking, the stamping material’s surface must be smooth and free from oxide scale, fractures, rust spots, scratches, and other flaws. If this characteristic is present, there is less waste since the workpiece is less likely to break during punching. As a result, the parts’ surfaces are of superior quality, the mold is not easily scratched, and the service life has increased.
Thickness Tolerance
The material’s thickness tolerance should meet national standards, and a certain mold gap is appropriate for a specific material thickness. However, the quality of the workpiece will be impacted by an excessive thickness tolerance, which might also harm the mold and other equipment.
Output Consideration
Selecting the right material for your project will lead to successfully producing a new product. When working with heavy metal blanking, here are the factors you must see to ensure that your product is precisely done:
Accuracy
An adequately sharpened die, with the right clearance between the punch and die, will generate a part with precise dimensional tolerance about the part’s edges. With accurate products, you’ll be able to ensure quality and mitigate the risks of costing more from redoing it.
Appearance
Appearance can have both aesthetic and symbolic importance in your business. For example, since the component is blanked in a single operation, the final edges of the part have a consistent look rather than various degrees of burnishing from other processes.
Flatness
Problems with dimensions and aesthetics arise when there is a need for more flatness. The ultimate result of the even compression of the blanking process is a flat product that may keep a precise level of flatness for subsequent manufacturing procedures.
Ohio Valley Manufacturing’s Blanking Capabilities
Our goal at Ohio Valley Manufacturing is to become the go-to supplier of first-operation blanking, stampings, secondary blank-fed transfers, and value-added products to our clients from a wide range of industries. With over 20 years of experience, we have become experts in creating accurate tool and die designs and can handle any of your orders — we can handle a program from prototypes to low- and high-volume production runs!
Contact us today for all your blanking needs!