Sheet Metal Forming

Processes

Topics
Sheet Metal Forming Processes

Introduction to Sheet Metal Forming

Advantages and terms related to sheet metal forming
Types of sheet metal forming
Sheet metal cutting operations
Shearing, Punching and Blanking
Clearance in cutting operations, Punch and die design
Engineering analysis of cutting operations
Bending process and its types
Spring back and its solution
Engineering analysis of bending operation

Sheet Metalworking Defined

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 exceptions
may occur when stock is thick, brittle or significant
deformation

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

Advantages of Sheet Metal

Parts

High strength
Good dimensional accuracy
Good surface finish
Relatively low cost
Economical mass production for large
quantities

Sheet Metalworking
Terminology

Punchanddie -

tooling to perform sheet metal

processes; cutting, bending, and drawing (Male and
Female parts )

Stamping press -

machine tool that performs

most sheet metal operations. Different from forging
and extrusion presses

Stampings - sheet metal products

Stock - The sheet metal is fed into
the press in form of long strips
and coils, called stock.

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

Definition:
Mechanical cutting of material without formation of chips or
use of burning or melting

Cutting Process:
Fracture and tearing begin at the weakest point and
proceed progressively to the next-weakest location
Punch and die must have proper alignment and clearance
Sheared edges can be produced that require no further finishing

Steps:
1. Contact of two shearing edges
2. Deformation
3. Penetration
4. Fracture

Shearing
Sheet metal cutting operation along a straight
line
between two cutting edges
Typically used to cut large sheets into small
sheets

Figure Shearing operation: (a) side view of the shearing operation; (b) front
view of power shears equipped with inclined upper cutting blade.

Shearing
Sheet metal cutting operation along a
straight
Line between two cutting edges
Typically used to cut large sheets into
small sheets

Blanking and Punching

Blanking : sheet metal cutting to separate piece (called
a blank) along a closed outline from surrounding stock.
The cut out part is the desired product
Punching : similar to blanking except cut piece is scrap,
called a slug

Figure (a) Blanking and (b) punching.

Characteristics of sheared
edge
Rollover region
The region where initial plastic deformation occurs
Burnish
A smooth cutting region below rollover.
Fracture zone
Rough surface beneath burnish
Burr
The sharp edge caused by elongation of metal

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

Clearance Calculation
The recommended clearance is:

C = at
Where c clearance, in (mm); a allowance;
and t = stock thickness, in (mm).
Allowance a is determined according to type of metal.

Design Die and Punch Sizes

For a round blank of diameter
Db is determined as:
Blank punch diameter = Db 2c
Blank die diameter = Db
For a round hole (punching)
of diameter Dh is determined
as:
Hole punch diameter = Dh
Hole die diameter = Dh + 2c

Cutting Forces
Cutting forces are used to determine size of the
press needed.

F = StL
Where S shear strength of the sheet metal, lb/in 2 (Mpa); t
sheet thickness in. (mm); and L length of the cut edge, in.
(mm).
In blanking, punching, slotting, and similar operations, L is the
perimeter length of blank or hole being cut.
Note: the equation assumes that the entire cut along
sheared edge length is made at the same time. In this
case, the cutting force is a maximum.

Calculating Clearance and Force

Example: Round disk of 3.0 dia. is to be blanked from a halfhard cold-rolled sheet of thickness 1/8 with shear strength
= 45,000 lb/in2. Determine (a) punch and die diameters,
and (b) blanking force.
(a).
From table , a = 0.075,
so clearance c = 0.075(0.125) = 0.0094.
Die opening diameter = 3.0
Punch diameter = 3 2(0.0094) = 2.9812 in
(b)
Assume the entire perimeter of the part is blanked at one
time.
L = Db = 3.14(3) = 9.426
F = 45,000(9.426)(0.125) = 53,021 lb

Problem

Problems: 20.3, 20.4,

20.5, 20.6

Solution

If the aluminum sheet metal has a tensile strength = 310 MPa

,determine the force of shearing. Assume that blanking and
punching occurs simultaneously.

Sheet Metal Bending

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.

Types of Sheet Metal

Bending
Vbending - performed with a
Vshaped die
Edge bending - performed with a
wiping die

V-Bending
In V-bending the sheet metal blank is bent between a Vshaped punch and die
For low production
V-dies are simple and inexpensive
Figure 20.12
(a) Vbending;

Edge Bending
Edge or wipe bending involves cantilever loading of the material. A
pressure pad is used to apply a Force to hold the blank against the die,
while the punch forces the work piece to yield and bend over the edge
of the die
For high production
Pressure pad required
Dies are more complicated and costly

Figure (b)
edge bending.

Spring back in bending

When the bending stress is removed at the end of the
deformation process, elastic energy remains in the bent
part causing it to partially recover to its original shape. In
bending, this elastic recovery is called springback. It
increases with decreasing the modulus of elasticity, E,
and increasing the yield strength, Y, of a material.
Springback is defined as the increase in included angle of
the bent part relative to the included angle of the
forming tool after the tool is removed.
After springback:
The bend angle will decrease (the included angle will
increase)
The bend radius will increase

Compensation for Springback

Many ways can be used to compensate for springback.
Two common ways are:
Overbending
Bottoming (coining)
When overbending is used in V-bending (for example),
the punch angle and radius are fabricated slightly smaller
than the specified angle and raduis of the final part. This
way the material can springback to the desired value.
Bottoming involves squeezing the part at the end of the
stroke, thus plastically deforming it in the bend region.

Jigs and Fixtures

Introduction
Jig:
To facilitate drilling for many holes
To make holes at mass production level
Drilling Jig or simply jig
Fixture:
To facilitate / clamp the part for further process
To clamp semi finish part for further process so
that its surface can be saved from damage

Introduction
Application of fixtures:
Generally used to clamp the blank material to
perform further process and to achieve batter
accuracy
In machining Fixtures are used;
Facilitate machining process
Clamping of the material blank
To achieve geometrical tolerances like
concentricity, circularity, perpendicularity,
flatness, etc.
To support thin jobs in machining

Thank You