Sheet metal working and cold metal forming – sector to which we have chosen to dedicate our business and which brings with it many advantages, as we have explained in this article – contain a wide range of processes designed to create the final product through permanent deformations. Among these, a crucial phase is that of shaping, which consists of two specific operations: blanking and punching.
In both processes a force is impressed on the sheet to give a specific shape to the metal on which you are working. Furthermore, blanking and punching use molds and punches to complete their deformation. Despite having these points in common, blanking and punching differ substantially in the way they are carried out and in the result they allow to obtain. Let’s see specifically their characteristics.
During the blanking phase, action is taken directly on the perimeter of the part to be machined, shaping it. Specific presses are used to obtain a perfect edge shaping, depending on the shape and size of the sheet to be processed. In the blanking phase, in which the punch and die intervene, the punch removes part of the material to obtain the desired result. The part of sheet metal removed, technically defined as scrap, constitutes the processing waste and cannot be recovered for other processes.
Unlike blanking, the punching process allows you to make holes and notches on the surface of the sheet always using the action of the punch. In this case it is possible to assign the punching operation to both a press and an automatic punching machine. If, in the blanking, the material separated from the original piece constitutes the product, in the punching the exact opposite occurs: it constitutes the waste.
At Prodotti EBI we follow your project at every stage: from prototyping, to feasibility analysis, up to obtaining the final product.
We will study together the shaping operations best suited to your goal and we will define how to perform blanking and punching on the metal you have chosen: contact us!