Skip to content 
Metal stamping is a versatile manufacturing process widely used in various industries. One crucial component of metal stamping is the metal stamping blank.
Have you ever wondered what a metal stamping blank is? Do you know how it is used in the manufacturing process? If you’re curious about this subject, then you’ve come to the right place!
In this blog post, we will explore what metal stamping blank is, how it is used, and why it is such an essential part of the manufacturing industry.
What are blanks in metal stamping?
Metal stamping is the process that helps to produce the required shape from the blanks or sheets. A Blank is a plain metal sheet that initiates the steps of metal pressing or stamping. This process starts with a blank inspection and ends with the final shape of the metal. It is a crucial part that leads to achieving accurate results without any discrepancy.
Metal has to go through different processes to get an intended shape. A stamping press, die, punch, blank holder, and feeder are the necessary tools for this process. All these tools take part in transforming metal into a desired shape.
Why are blanks important in metal stamping?
Metal stamping includes around nine steps: Blanking, Piercing, Drawing, Bending, Air Bending, Bottoming and Coining, Forming, Pinch Trimming, Pinch Trimming, and Lancing.
Blanking is the process used to get the blanks from the material sheet. Punch and die are the necessary tools to extract the appropriate workpiece.
In any manufacturing process, the manufacturer needs a base material to start the process. Blank is the flat sheet that acts as the starting material for the metal pressing process. So, blanking is the initiating step of stamping that produces the blanking workpiece or blank. This is a crucial step because it produces a smaller piece that is easy to manage for further process.
Material transformation, precision, consistency, tooling efficiency, production speed, and quality depend upon the blank or blanking workpiece. So, this is necessary to get the right blank to create a final product.
It also helps to reduce scrap production, and this way, it impacts cost. It minimizes waste, promotes sustainability, and benefits both the manufacturer and the environment.
Metal is versatile and has unique properties, and this makes it compatible material for different industries. It is essential to the electronics, appliances, construction, automotive, aviation, and manufacturing industries. Even metal stamping is a renowned method to get personalized and customized pieces in the jewelry industry. It helps Jewelers to create significant and distinctive designs with different patterns and inscriptions.
How are metal stamping blanks made?
Manufacturing metal stamping blanks involves a series of steps to produce appropriate base material for producers. This is described in the following steps:
Metal Selection: Aluminum, copper, stainless steel, silver, cast iron, magnesium, and titanium are different metals that serve a variety of applications. The selection of material depends upon the requirement and application. Manufacturers select materials according to their suitability depending on strength, resistance, compatibility, durability, formability, and workability. So, failure and success largely depend upon the selection and inspection of the material.
Coil Straightening: This step is applicable if the material is coiled or not straight. The Manufacturers use a decompiler or straightener machine to make flat sheets from coiled metal, and it makes coil feeding easier into the stamping machine.
Shearing and Cutting Process: This step prepares stock for the stamping process with the help of shearing and cutting methods. Some tools that include bench shear, alligator shear, guillotine shear, and power Shear help to cut the large pieces into straight strips for different projects.
Choosing a Blanking Die: The selection of the right die depends upon different factors. These factors are blanking requirements, material properties, risks, design, shape, and mechanical properties. It helps to choose the appropriate die design for the blanking process.
Blanking: A blanking die is a tool that cuts and refines the blanks into the desired shape. It includes an upper and lower die that helps create a desired shape. The lower die is also known as the punch. After this step, you get a blank workpiece for other manufacturing steps.
Removal and Inspection: After blanking, remove blanks from the blanking die with the help of different tools. Now, check or inspect the blank for defects and accuracy.
Finishing Process: You come up with a fully compatible blank after the removal of all the flaws. It includes the removal of burrs, cleaning, and polishing. After clearing all the imperfections, you get a fully functional blank at the end of this process.
Popular materials used for blanking
The most popular materials used in blanking are aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and silver. They have some properties that make them unique and compatible options for a variety of industries. Let’s know more about them.
Aluminum:
Aluminum is a package of versatile properties. It is lightweight, non-corrosive, easily castable, malleable, non-toxic, durable, non-magnetic, and a good conductor of electricity. All these properties make aluminum compatible with automotive, aerospace, electronics, packaging, and consumer goods industries.
Aluminum is lightweight and can take various shapes according to the nature of the project. Its strength and ductility make it capable of both inward and outward pressure, which is why it can handle the stamping pressure and becomes suitable for this process. It also affects material as well as tooling costs because it is inexpensive and soft. It protects different tools from wear and tear to avoid replacement.
Copper
Copper has many properties that make it the best choice for many industries. It is tough, malleable, ductile, and has excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. Copper is a good choice for stamping because of its mechanical and electrical properties.
Metal alloys are formed after combining elements like tin, zinc, nickel, and aluminum with copper. These metal alloys have enhanced strength, hardness, and better characteristics as compared to copper.
The commonly known alloys of copper are Bronze, brass, and cupronickel. Copper blank transforms into electrical cables because of its exceptional electrical conductivity.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel is made mainly from iron and chromium with smaller proportions of other elements. It holds many properties that make it an attractive choice for blanking. It is temperature and corrosion-resistant, durable, flexible, long-lasting, recyclable, and has high strength.
The properties of stainless steel make it an ideal option for different applications. It can be used in kitchen accessories, modern construction, the automotive industry, transportation, and medical equipment. It is also the right choice for power plants because it can handle high pressure and stress because of its tensile strength.
Silver
After gold and platinum, silver is third among expensive metals. It is known for its flexibility, workability, and conductivity.
Silver is used in jewelry, decorative items, electronics, optical devices, and solar panels. Silver is soft, so it is not suitable for blanking for heavy industries, and it cannot withstand high pressure and is prone to deformation.
Silver blanking plays a role in the jewelry industry for the formation of jewelry pieces. Silver blanks are used to create different accessories, and their lustrous look makes them a suitable and affordable option for jewelry manufacturing.
Applications of metal stamping blanks
Jewelry
Blanking is a popular technique among jewelers for making ornaments and accessories. Blanking dies allow jewelers to create multiple blanks in one sheet without consuming much time.
Making jewelry is challenging, and it takes time to form complex jewelry parts. Sometimes the designing process needs to be clarified for designers, but blanking can simplify all the steps without consuming much time.
Different tools involved are blanking dies, cutters, Jewelry saws, Bench Shears, Piercing saws, and metal punches.
Pendants
Pendants look classy in a chain around your neck. They come in different shapes and sizes, and they may be round, oval, wavy, heart-shaped, rhombus, or many other shapes.
Blanking dies help to create multiple pendants easily in less time, and metal stamp blanks help to create personalized pendants.
Jewelers can use these blanks to engrave different patterns, names, or dates to make customized jewelry pieces.
Charms:
Metal stamping blank helps create visually appealing charms, which helps jewelers make charms with different symbols, signs, letters, or numbers. With these blanks, getting a customized charm that reflects your style is easy.
Quality Metal Blanking from Chengli Hardware
At Chengli Hardware, we specialize in delivering exceptional metal blanking services that meet the highest industry standards. Our commitment to quality sets us apart from the competition and ensures that our clients receive top-notch products for their projects.
If you’re in need of precision metal blanks for your next project, Chengli Hardware is the trusted partner you can rely on.
