A Guide to Metal Stamping Machinery 

There are three primary types of precision metal stamping machines:

1. Mechanical Presses

2. Hydraulic Presses

3. Mechanical Servo Presses

Generally these types of metal stamping presses are linked to an automatic feeder that guides strip/sheet metal through the press in either coil or blank form.

What types of machines are used in metal stamping?

Mechanical presses can deliver the highest production speeds, specifically for simple, shallow-formed parts from coils of sheet metal. Mechanical presses are fast and efficient and can be depended upon to produce high volume production runs with consistent results in repeated cycles. Mechanical presses use a motor connected to a flywheel mechanism to transfer and store energy. These presses can be found in a wide range of sizes varying from 20-6,000 tons. Mechanical presses are typically used for progressive and transfer stamping. Many automotive, appliance and hardware components fall into this category.

Hydraulic presses do not possess the high production speeds of a mechanical press, however they do offer wider flexibility with variable stroke lengths, die opening space and pressure. The hydraulic press is often the most suitable option when producing parts with deep, complex shapes that involve a lot of material flow and are not reliant on production speed. Components such as tanks, cylinders and bowls are frequently manufactured using hydraulic presses.

Mechanical Serco presses deliver much of the variability of the hydraulic press, at production speeds approaching that of mechanical presses with the addition of finer control for stroke, slide motion, slide position and speed. The programmable additions allow for many different combinations that can work with a wide variety of dies, part types and production speeds.

Deep Draw Metal Stamping Presses

Deep draw metal stamping presses are a type of mechanical press with the addition of a transfer mechanism , commonly referred to as transfer presses. Transfer press stamping is an efficient manufacturing process used to form medium to high volume complex components. Transfer presses shape flat blanks of metal by drawing them into dies under extreme pressure. The metal workpiece is transferred through a series of drawing, re-drawing and other shaping, cutting or embossing stations to arrive at its final shape. In stamping, a single press maneuvers a full setup of tools which typically consist of a series of dies arranged in a production line.

The benefits to transfer press stamping to other metal stamping methods include:

• Transfer press stampings, unlike other stamping machines, separate the part from the strip and the initial operation. This allows for significantly more complex geometries and incorporates secondary cutting and embossing operations into the press.
• The transfer press stamping process has become very efficient through automation technology. Automatic transfer press systems make it possible to condense a whole stamping operation into a single press.
• Transfer press stamping involves accurate alignment and effortless mechanical transfer between stations. The use of automation technology proficiently meets these requirements, making it easy to manufacture high volume orders without giving up part process or quality.  

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