Chpter-10

Design of Sheet-metal Bending,

Forming, Drawing Dies
Bending,
Forming and
Drawing:
Bending & Forming
Bending: Metal flow is uniform along the bend axis, with the inner
surface of the bend in compression and the outer surface in tension.
Forming: Forming is similar to bending, except that the form or bend is
along a curved axis instead of straight one. A part that is formed
generally takes the shape of the punch or die. Metal flow is not as
uniform as in bending because it may be localized to some extent,
depending upon the shape of the workpiece.
Drawing:
Drawing: Drawing is the most complicated of the three sheet-metal
shaping process. A drawing operation begins with a flat blank which is
transformed into a cup or shell. The parent metal is subjected to severe
plastic deformation. Shell forms produced may be cylindrical or
rectangular with straight or tapered sides.
Bending methods
 Bending methods
• Bending methods: two bending methods are used extensively in
presses are wiping dies and V bending.
• V bending: V bending is accomplished by using a V block for a die
and a wedge-shaped punch to force the metal into the die. The
desirable width of the opening in the V is ordinarily at least 8 times the
5
material thickness, up to about 𝑖𝑛. Plate. Die opening up to 10 to 12
8
times are used for forming heavier thickness of plate. The included
angle of the V bend can be changed by varying the distance the punch
forces the sheet metal into the V die.
 Bending methods
Wiping die: A wiping die is shown in Fig. 10-2b. Here, the workpiece is
clamped to a die block by a spring loaded or fluid-cylinder pressure pad,
and the punch wipes extended material over one edge of the die. A bend
radius is provided on the edge of the die block. A radius or chamfer is
often provided on the leading edge of the punch to prevent the wiping
action from being too severe.
 Springback
Springback: Elastic stresses remaining in the bend area after being
pressure is released will cause a slight decrease in the bend angle. Metal
movement of this type is known as springback, and the magnitude of
movement will vary according to material type, thickness, and hardness.
A larger bend radius will also cause greater springback.
Springback for low-carbon and soft nonferrous material is from 0 to
20
For 0.40 to 0.50 carbon steel and half –hard materials springback may
vary from 3 to 50
Springback may be as high as 10 to 150 in harder materials.
Springback
Springback Prevention
Prevention techniques:
1. To determine the necessary
amount of overbend by trial
and error method.
2. Coining (squeezing) the
metal slightly at the corner in
order to relieve elastic
stresses. This is sometimes
referred to as corner setting.
Springback Prevention
Prevention techniques:
3. Figure 10.5 shows various
methods of modifying the punch
nose for corner-setting operations.
Corner setting verges on
bottoming out, and pressure is
built up rapidly; for this reason
large contact areas should be
avoided. Only a small amount of
squeezing is necessary.
 Bend Allowance
In bending operations the
material near the bend radius is
under compression while the
material near the outside of the
bend is under tension, as shown
in Fig. 10.7. A neutral plane
exists between the area under
tension and the area under
compression. If the material is
uniform in section and its elastic
limit is not exceeded, neutral
plane will coincide with the
centerline of the material.
 Bend Allowance
When a blank or sheet is to be
bent, it is necessary to consider the
effect of stretching the metal at the
outside of the bend. Since there is
no stretch in the neutral plane, the
length of the formed part along the
neutral plane will be the correct
length. The curved neutral plane of
the bend area is called the bend
allowance, as shown in Fig. 9-7.
 Bend Allowance
U dies and channel dies: This type of tooling for
bending, which may be considered a cross
between V-bending and wiping dies, is so named
because the workpieces produced in them bear
resemblance to the letter U or a channel (see fig.
10.9). U dies are generally equipped with a
pressure pad, as shown, which helps prevent the
metal from bowing away from the flat face of the
punch. This will not completely eliminate
springback, and it may be necessary to bottom
out against the pressure pad to prevent the legs of
the channel from springing apart on the return
stroke. This additional pressure will increase the
press load by several tons but produces a part
with the bottom of the channel only slightly
hollow at its center.
Bending force
 Forming dies
1. Solid form dies
2. Pad-type form dies
3. Curling dies
4. Embossing dies
5. Coining dies
6. Bulging dies
7. Assembly dies
 Curling Dies
A curling die rolls a raw edge of
sheet metal into a roll, or curl, as
shown in the figure. The purpose is
to strengthen the raw edge, provide a
protective edge, and improve the
appearance of the product. The curl
is often applied over a wire ring for
increased strength.
 EMBOSSING
• Embossing is a shallow forming
operation in which the workpiece
material is stretched over a male die and
caused to conform to the male-die
surface by a mating female-die surface.
In other words, the workpiece material is
displaced between a male and female
surface. The finished product will have a
depressed detail on one side and a raised
detail on the other. The major difference
between embossing and forming is that
the displaced pattern is much smaller and
shallower. An embossed pattern may
have more intricate detail than a formed
pattern.
 EMBOSSING
• Embossing is used to stiffen and
strengthen a sheet metal part or to impart
a raised or depressed design on the
surface of the part.
• The circular grooves on the bottom of a
sheet metal container are a good example
of embossing for stiffness and strength.
The metal military buttɔn with insignia
raised on the surface is an example of
embossing for detail.
• Embossing dies are limited to rather
shallow detail. If the metal tears or
wrinkles with a particular design, the use
of a drawing quality or more ductile
material may help The problem areas
within the die may also be toned down or
made with less relief.
 COINING
• Coining is the process of pressing material in a die
so that it flows into the spaces in the detail on the
die face, as shown in Fig. 10-22. Coining differs
from embossing in that in coining the metal flows,
whereas in embossing the metal does not change in
thickness to any great extent. Coining operations
are generally performed cold, and for the most part
all surfaces of the workpiece are confined or
restrained.
• The metal slug to be coined should be nearly the
size of the die cavity and contact the die surfaces
over a large area because only a small amount of
metal will flow during a single hit of the press.
When it is necessary to redistribute a large amount
of metal, a preliminary metal-redistribution process
such as forging or extrusion should precede the
coining.
 COINING
• Coining has two major advantages: (1)
ornate detail can be reproduced with
excellent surface finish, and (2) very close
tolerances can be held. Metal buttons,
tableware, medallions, medals, coins,
jewelry, and decoration items are
examples of workpieces produced by
coining when ornate detail is required.
• Drop hammers or knuckle-joint and
hydraulic presses are generally used for
coining operations because of the heavy
forces required; however, coining may be
done satisfactorily on any type of press
providing it has the necessary capacity and
precautions are taken to prevent
overloading.
COINING
EMBOSSING and COINING
 Bulging dies
• Bulging dies: Bulging is an internal forming operation used to expand
portions of a drawn shell or tube. The forming force is applied from
inside the workpiece and is transmitted through a medium that will
flow and not compress. The more common medium are rubber,
urethane, heavy grease, oil, or water.
• A bulging die must be cut into sections that open, in order to remove
the workpiece after bulging. Generally two halves are satisfactory. The
die halves must be positively retained during the bulging operation and
be equipped with quick acting clamps or latches. Bulging operations
using liquid as a pressure-dispersing medium must be carefully made
to keep leakage to a minimum.
• Rubber or urethane is preferred as a pressure dispersing medium
because they are clean and easy to use.
Bulging dies
Bulging dies
Bulging dies
 Drawing operation
Drawing is the name given to the
production of cups, shells, boxes, and
similar articles from metal blanks. A
round blank is first cut from flat stock.
The blank is then placed in the draw
die, where the punch pushes the blank
through the die. On the return stroke the
cup is stripped from the punch by the
counterbore in the bottom of the die.
The top edge of the shell expands
(springback) slightly in order to make
this possible. Note that the amount of
springback in the drawing has been
exaggerated. The punch has an air vent
to prevent a vacuum being formed when
the part is stripped from the punch.
Metal flow during drawing

Wrinkle rather than compress, especially

in thin sheets or with deeper draws. A
blank holder is used to prevent the
formation of wrinkles in this case. There
must be enough force on the blank holder
to prevent formation of wrinkles because
after a wrinkle is started, the blank holder
is raised from the surface of the metal and
allows other wrinkles to start.
Draw radius on die
 Draw radius on die

If the draw radius is too large, the metal will be released by the blank holder too
soon and wrinkling will result. Too sharp a radius will hinder the normal flow of
the metal and cause uneven thinning of the cup wall, with resultant tearing. The
general rule is to make the draw radius 4 times the thickness. The draw radius
may be increased to 6 to 8 times the metal thickness when drawing shallow cups
of heavy-gage metals without a blank holder. The nomograph in Fig.10-30 gives
a more exact method of determining draw-die radius, based on the hip of the
blank diameter to the cup diameter.
 Drawing Operations
Friction:
Material to be drawn:
The following principal factors affect the selection of grade and quality of low-carbon-steel
sheets for deep drawing:
1. Severity of draw as determined by the amount of reduction and punch-nose radius
2. Thickness of sheet
3. Shape of part (round, rectangular, or conical)
4. Flange requirements
5. Ironing requirements
6. Desired finish
7. Grain size
8. Press speed
9. Availability of material
10. Cost
 Percent reduction and depth of draw
• Percent reduction and depth of draw The percent reduction in drawing
cylindrical shells is generally expressed in terms of the diameters of
the blank D and the drawn shell d, where D equals the OD of the blank
and d equals the ID of the shell. This percentage provides an
approximate value for the amount the work material is to be
compressed. The drawability of a metal is often expressed as the
percentage reduction from the blank diameter to the cup diameter.
Percentage reduction is calculated from the formula
Percent reduction and depth of draw
Percent reduction
and depth of draw
 Drawing speed

Drawing speed: The velocity at which the punch penetrates the

workpiece often has a definite effect on a drawing operation. Drawing
speed is usually expressed in linear feet per minute. Low carbon is
normally drawn from 30 to 50 fpm under normal conditions. Nonferrous
work material is drawn from 150 to 200 fpm. Generally speaking, the
harder and less ductile the material, the slower the drawing speed must
be. When cracking or excessive thinning occurs, the drawing speed must
be reduced.
 Die clearance
Die clearance is the gap left between the punch and die to allow for the
flow of the work material. Generally enough clearance is left to allow
for thickening of the metal. This allowance ranges from 7 to 20 percent
of the metal thickness, depending upon the type of operation and the
metal. Table 10.5 shows draw clearance for various blank thickness.
 Trim allowance

These formulas give the theoretical blank size, which is only an approximation when applied to
actual practice. Extra metal should be added to the formula blank diameter to provide for
trimming, which is generally necessary on deeper draws to eliminate the uneven and irregular
edge on the rim of the drawn cup. The extra material added to the blank diameter is referred to as
trim allowance. The necessary trim allowance increases as the size of the drawn cup increases.