Conventional Stamping VS Fine Blanking

For the production of metal parts, conventional stamping and fine blanking are the two production process methods of concern. Now, more and more people choose conventional stamping process rather than fine blanking process, why? What is the difference between precision blanking and normal stamping?

Fine blanking is a specialty type of metal stamping that can achieve part characteristics, such as flatness and a full sheared edge to a degree that is nearly impossible using a conventional metal cutting or punching process. It is a specialized metal-forming process that combines cold extrusion and stamping technologies to produce parts that cannot be made by other stamping methods. With specially designed tooling and presses, fine blanking allows precision stampings to be produced that have clean-sheared edges; little or no die break; thin web sections; exceptional flatness; smaller holes relative to material thickness; and two-dimensional forms with minimal distortion.

As compared to conventional stamping, the fine blank stampings production process is fully automated with the capacity to produce up to 100 fine blanked parts per minute with consistent, accurate and clean edges. On the other hand, conventional stamping is a slow and expensive process. By contrast, in many cases, fine blanking replaces the need for secondary machining since all the operations including profiles, edges, web sections, and holes are accomplished in one process. Fine blanked parts can be made from any type of metal up to 10mm in thickness without the danger of any distortion to the component or material during or after the process. Since fine blanked parts are produced in the same stroke as the finished part, its features maintain a consistent position from part to part in a production lot.

In precision blanked stampings, there is constant pressure applied to both sides, which helps achieve excellent flatness that cannot be produced by conventional stamping without additional grinding and other operations. One of the major benefits is that it can produce bends, forms, and offsets up to 70 degrees or even more complex bends with progressive fine blanking tools. Since the part features are integrated in the tool there is no room for distortion, which results in clean, smooth finishes.

Moreover, fine blanked stampings have the ability to create coined sections, counter-bores, surface imprints, identification marks, and much more. These features are made at the same time as the blank in a single station tool, which ensures uniformity on a production line. In addition, component designers have the flexibility to discover new ways to increase quality, add function, and save costs. Components that require precision dimension control and consistent quality can be produced efficiently with fine blanking. It can be applied to parts of any size or shape ranging from minute electronic parts to large plates for heavy industry equipment. Another major benefit of fine blanked stampings is the larger variety of metals with cold-forming characteristics that can be used. This includes stainless steel, brass, copper alloys, and more. These fine blanked parts are much stronger than parts produced by powdered metal and casting.

For the improvement of cost, accuracy, and functions, parts have been produced in the forging of conventional, casting, sintering, cutting, has been converted to precision blanking process. We can see in the future that fine blanking will become a main stream in the metal forming process.