Topic 3

Metal Forming &

Shaping Processes
(F) Sheet Metal Forming

Compiled by:
Norliana Mohd Abbas

Sources:
1. Manufacturing Engineering & Technology 5th Edition, Serope
Kalpakjian, Steven Schmid, Prentice Hall, 2006
2. Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing: Materials, Processes and
System, Mikell P. Groover, John Wiley & Sons (Asia), 2007
Introduction
 The term press working or press forming is
used commonly in industry to describe general
sheet-forming operations, because they typically
are performed on presses using a set of dies.

 Low-carbon steel is the most commonly used

sheet metal because of its low cost and
generally good strength and formability
characteristics.
Introduction
Cutting and forming operations performed on
relatively thin sheets of metal

 Thickness of sheet metal = 0.4 mm (1/64 in) to 6

mm (1/4 in)
 Thickness of plate stock > 6 mm
 Operations usually performed as cold working
Introduction
 Sheet and plate metal parts for consumer and industrial
products such as

Automobiles and trucks

Airplanes
Railway cars and locomotives
Farm and construction equipment
Small and large appliances
Office furniture
Computers and office equipment
Introduction

Examples of sheet-metal parts (a) Stamped parts. (b) Parts produced by spinning.
Introduction
General characteristics of sheet-metal forming processes.
Advantages of Sheet Metal Parts

High strength
Good dimensional accuracy
Good surface finish
Relatively low cost
Economical mass production for large
quantities
Basic Types of Sheet Metal Processes

1. Cutting
 Shearing to separate large sheets
 Blanking to cut part perimeters out of sheet metal
 Punching to make holes in sheet metal
2. Bending
 Straining sheet around a straight axis
3. Drawing
 Forming of sheet into convex or concave shapes
Sheet Metal Cutting

Shearing of sheet metal between two cutting edges: (1) just before the punch
contacts work; (2) punch begins to push into work, causing plastic
deformation;
Sheet Metal Cutting

Shearing of sheet metal between two cutting edges: (3) punch compresses
and penetrates into work causing a smooth cut surface; (4) fracture is
initiated at the opposing cutting edges which separates the sheet.
Shearing, Blanking, and Punching
Three principal operations in pressworking that cut
sheet metal:

 Shearing
 Blanking
 Punching
Shearing
Sheet metal cutting operation along a straight line between two cutting
edges

 Typically used to cut large sheets

Shearing operation: (a) side view of the shearing operation; (b) front view of
power shears equipped with inclined upper cutting blade.
Blanking & Punching
Blanking - sheet metal cutting to separate piece (called a blank) from
surrounding stock

Punching - similar to blanking except cut piece is scrap, called a slug

Clearance in Sheet Metal Cutting
Distance between punch cutting edge and die cutting edge

Typical values range between 4% and 8% of stock

thickness

If too small, fracture lines pass each other, causing

double burnishing and larger force
If too large, metal is pinched between cutting edges
and excessive burr results
Clearance in Sheet Metal Cutting
 Recommended clearance is calculated by:
c = at
where c = clearance; a = allowance; and t = stock
thickness

 Allowance a is determined according to type of metal

Sheet Metal Cutting

(a) shows effect of the clearance, c, between punch and die on the deformation
zone in shearing.
(b) shows micro-hardness (HV) contours for a 6.4-mm (0.25-in.) thick AISI 1020
hot-rolled steel in the sheared region.

As the clearance increases, the material tends to be pulled into the die
rather than be sheared. In practice, clearances usually range between
2 and 10% of the thickness of the sheet.
Punch Force

The force required to punch is basically the product of the

shear strength of the sheet metal and the total area
being sheared along the periphery.

Important for determining press size (tonnage)

F=StL
where S = shear strength of metal; t = stock thickness,
and L = length of cut edge
Punch Force
 Friction between the punch and the work piece can,
however, increase punch force significantly.

 Furthermore, in addition to the punch force, a force is

required to strip the punch from the sheet during its
return stroke.
Punch and Die Sizes
 For a round blank of diameter Db:
Blanking punch diameter = Db - 2c
Blanking die diameter = Db
where c = clearance

 For a round hole of diameter Dh:

Hole punch diameter = Dh
Hole die diameter = Dh + 2c
where c = clearance
Punch and Die Sizes

Die size determines

blank size Db;
punch size determines
hole size Dh.;
c = clearance
Characteristics & Type of Shearing Dies

Most pressworking operations performed with conventional

punch-and-die tooling

 Custom-designed for particular part

 The term stamping die sometimes used for high
production dies
Punch and Die
 Both the surfaces of the punch and of the die are flat.

 Because the entire thickness is sheared at the same time, the punch
force increases rapidly during shearing.

 The location of the regions being sheared at any particular instant

can be controlled by beveling the punch and die surfaces.

 Figure shows the examples of the use of shear angles on punches

and dies.
Compound Dies
 Several operations on the same sheet may be performed
in one stroke at one station with a compound die.

 Such combined operations usually are limited to

relatively simple shapes, because
 (a) the process is somewhat slow and
 (b) the dies rapidly become much more expensive to
produce than those for individual shearing operations,
especially for complex dies.
Compound Dies

Components of a punch and die for a blanking operation

Compound Dies
(a) before and (b) after
blanking a common
washer in a compound
die. Note the separate
movements of the die
(for blanking) and the
punch (for punching the
hole in the washer).
(c) Schematic illustration of
making a washer in a
progressive die.
(d) Forming of the top piece
of an aerosol spray can
in a progressive die.
Note that the part is
attached to the strip until
the last operation is
completed.
Progressive Dies
 Parts requiring multiple operations to produce can be
made at high production rates in progressive dies.

 The sheet metal is fed through as a coil strip, and a

different operation (such as punching, blanking, and
notching) is performed at the same station of the
machine with each stroke of a series of punches.
Progressive Dies

(a) Progressive die;

(b) Associated strip
development
Transfer Dies
 In a transfer-die setup, the sheet metal undergoes
different operations at different stations of the machine
which are arranged along a straight line or a circular
path.

 After each step in a station, the part is transferred to the

next station for further operations.
Miscellaneous Methods of Cutting
Sheet Metal
Laser-beam cutting is an important process typically used with
computer-controlled equipment to cut a variety of shapes
consistently, in various thicknesses, and without the use of any
dies.

Water-jet cutting is a cutting process that is effective on many metallic

as well as nonmetallic materials.

Cutting with a band saw; this method is a chip-removal process.

Friction sawing involves a disk or blade which rubs against the sheet
or plate at high surface speeds.

Flame cutting is another common method, particularly for thick plates;

it is used widely in ship building and on heavy structural
components.
Sheet Metal Characteristics and
Formability
Sheet Metal Bending
 Bending is one of the most common industrial forming operations.

 Straining sheet metal around a straight axis to take a permanent

bend

(a) Bending of sheet metal

Sheet Metal Bending
Metal on inside of neutral plane is compressed, while metal
on outside of neutral plane is stretched

(b) both compression and tensile

elongation of the metal occur in
bending.
Sheet Metal Bending
Figure (a) and (b) shows the effect of elongated inclusions
(stringers) on cracking as a function of the direction of
bending with respect to the original rolling direction of the
sheet. (c) Cracks on the outer surface of an aluminum
strip bent to an angle of 90°.
Sheet Metal Bending
 The bend allowance, is the length of the neutral axis in
the bend and is used to determine the length of the
blank for a part to be bent.

 An approximate formula for the bend allowance is given

by

where α is the bend angle (in radians), T is the sheet

thickness, R is the bend radius, and k is a constant.
Minimum Bend Radius
 The radius at which a crack first appears at the outer fibers of a
sheet being bent is referred to as the minimum bend radius.

T is the sheet thickness

Types of Sheet Metal Bending
 V-bending - performed with a V-shaped die
 Edge bending - performed with a wiping die
V-Bending
 For low production
 Performed on a press brake
 V-dies are simple and inexpensive
Edge Bending
 For high production
 Pressure pad required
 Dies are more complicated and costly
Various Bending Operations
 Examples of various bending operations.
Stretching During Bending
 If bend radius is small relative to stock thickness, metal
tends to stretch during bending

 Important to estimate amount of stretching, so final part

length = specified dimension

 Problem: to determine the length of neutral axis of the

part before bending
Springback
When bending pressure is removed, elastic energy
remains in bent part, causing it to recover partially toward
its original shape

In bending, this recovery is called springback, which can be

observed easily by bending and then releasing a piece of
sheet metal or wire.
Springback

Springback in bending is seen as a decrease in bend angle and an increase

in bend radius: (1) during bending, the work is forced to take radius Rb and
included angle b' of the bending tool, (2) after punch is removed, the work
springs back to radius R and angle ‘.
Springback
 Springback in forming operations usually is compensated
for by overbending the part.

methods of reducing or eliminating springback in bending operations.

Bending Forces
 common die-bending operations showing the die-
opening dimension, W, used in calculating bending
forces.

where F = bending force; TS = tensile strength

K bf TSwt 2 of sheet metal; w = part width in direction of
F bend axis; and t = stock thickness. For V-
D bending, Kbf = 1.33; for edge bending, Kbf = 0.33
Drawing
Sheet metal forming to make cup-shaped, box-shaped, or
other complex-curved, hollow-shaped parts

 Sheet metal blank is positioned over die cavity and then

punch pushes metal into opening
 Products: beverage cans, ammunition shells, automobile
body panels
 Also known as deep drawing (to distinguish it from wire
and bar drawing)
Drawing
 Figure (a) shows the schematic illustration of the deep-
drawing process on a circular sheet-metal blank.

 The stripper ring facilitates the removal of the formed

cup from the punch.

 Figure (b) shows the process variables in deep drawing.

 Except for the punch force, F, all the parameters

indicated in the figure are independent variables.
Drawing
metal-forming
processes involved in
manufacturing a two-
piece aluminum
beverage can.
Shapes other than Cylindrical Cups
 Square or rectangular boxes (as in sinks),
 Stepped cups
 Cones
 Cups with spherical rather than flat bases
 Irregular curved forms (as in automobile body panels)

 Each of these shapes presents its own unique technical

problems in drawing
Other Sheet Metal Forming on Presses

Other sheet metal forming operations performed on

conventional presses
 Operations performed with metal tooling
 Operations performed with flexible rubber tooling
Ironing
 Makes wall thickness of cylindrical cup more uniform

Ironing to achieve more uniform wall thickness in a drawn cup: (1)

start of process; (2) during process. Note thinning and elongation of
walls.
Embossing

Creates indentations in sheet, such as raised (or indented)

lettering or strengthening ribs

Embossing: (a) cross-section of punch and die configuration during

pressing; (b) finished part with embossed ribs.
Guerin Process
 Also called Guerin Stamping, is a manufacturing process
used in the shaping of sheet metals. It is the oldest and
most basic of the production rubber-pad forming
processes

 Process where sheet metal is pressed between a die

and rubber block. Under pressure, the rubber and sheet
metal are driven into the die and conform to its shape,
forming the part.
Guerin Process

Guerin process: (1) before and (2) after. Symbols v and F indicate
motion and applied force respectively.
Advantages of Guerin Process
 Low tooling cost
 Form block can be made of wood, plastic, or other
materials that are easy to shape
 Rubber pad can be used with different form blocks
 Process attractive in small quantity production
Operations Not Performed on Presses

 Stretch forming
 Roll bending and forming
 Spinning
 High-energy-rate forming processes.
Stretch Forming
Sheet metal is stretched and simultaneously bent to
achieve shape change

Stretch forming: (1) start of process; (2) form die is pressed into the
work with force Fdie, causing it to be stretched and bent over the form.
F = stretching force.
Roll Bending
Large metal sheets and plates are formed into curved
sections using rolls
Roll Forming
Continuous bending process in which opposing rolls
produce long sections of formed shapes from coil or
strip stock

Roll forming of a continuous

channel section:
(1) straight rolls,
(2) partial form,
(3) final form.
Spinning
Metal forming process in which an axially symmetric part is
gradually shaped over a rotating mandrel using a
rounded tool or roller

 Three types:
1. Shear spinning
2. Tube spinning

Tube spinning is used to produce cylinder shapes and

shear spinning is used to produce cone or contoured
shapes.
Shear Spinning

(1) setup at start of process; (2) during spinning; and (3)

completion of process.
High-Energy-Rate Forming (HERF)
Processes to form metals using large amounts of energy
over a very short time

 HERF processes include:

Explosive forming
Electromagnetic forming
Explosive Forming
Use of explosive charge to form sheet (or plate) metal into
a die cavity

 Explosive charge causes a shock wave whose energy is

transmitted to force part into cavity
 Applications: large parts, typical of aerospace industry
Explosive Forming

Explosive forming: (1) setup, (2) explosive is detonated, and (3) shock
wave forms part and plume escapes water surface.
 Electromagnetic Forming

Sheet metal is deformed by

mechanical force of an
electromagnetic field
induced in the workpart by
an energized coil

 Presently the most widely Electromagnetic forming: (1) setup in

used HERF process which coil is inserted into tubular
workpart surrounded by die; (2)
 Applications: tubular parts formed part.
Thank You