Sharing Aluminum Alloy Stamping Process with You!

Aluminum stamping is relatively soft compared to metal iron and expensive. It is prone to breakage and some aluminum alloy products require subsequent processing, such as wire drawing and anodizing. 

It is particularly prone to dents and scratches during stamping production, so the following points should be noted in the manufacture of molds:

• For aluminum stamping parts, when there is no impact on the engineering numbers, try to punch holes in the back-end engineering punching, and even for products with a large number of holes, consider creating an additional engineering and punch the holes last.

• Aluminum stamping parts have soft aluminum and the mold is easy to clog. Therefore, when designing the mold clearance, it is advisable to leave a clearance of 10% for double-sided material thickness. The cutting edge is suitable at 2mm deep and the taper is suitable at 0.8-1°.
  

• When bending aluminum stamping parts, aluminum shavings are easily produced during the bending process, causing point damage and pressure marks. The raw aluminum material needs to be pasted with a PE film. In the case of rolling and electroplating, it is best to use a polished hard chrome as the forming block.
  

• For aluminum stamping parts that require post-anodizing processing, if there is a flattening or pushing process of 180 degrees, the product cannot be completely pressed together. Complete pressing will cause acid spit phenomenon. A gap of 0.2-0.3mm should be left to allow the acid solution to flow out smoothly and timely, so a limiting block must be made and designated on the mold during this process.
  

• Aluminum stamping parts are prone to cracking due to their brittle aluminum material, especially when folded back. Therefore, try not to do indentation, and even if it is necessary, the indentation should be wider and shallower.
  

• All cutting edges of aluminum stamping parts require slow wire cutting to prevent burrs and unsmooth material removal. Aluminum parts are prone to high temperatures, so the punch hardness requirement is over 60° and at least SKD11 material should be used. Unbalanced quality punches, such as D2, are not allowed. Due to the softness of aluminum, it is extremely prone to dents, pressure marks, scratches, and deformation during stamping production.

  
  

In addition to meeting the requirements on the mold, the following points must also be achieved during stamping production:

• In order to do well in aluminum stamping, reduce defects, and improve the 5S system, especially in terms of cleaning. The mold, stamping machine tabletop, assembly line, and packaging materials must be free of sharp debris and dirty materials, cleaned and sorted regularly, and both the upper and lower molds must be cleaned and free of foreign matters.

• If large burrs are found on the product, the mold needs to be repaired in a timely manner.
  

• Aluminum stamping parts are prone to overheating and hardening when piled together, so when punching and cutting materials, a bit of pressing plate oil should be applied to the material (which can dissipate heat and keep the material flowing smoothly) before stamping.
  

• For products with multiple punch holes, the mold surface should be cleaned after punching to keep the mold and product clean and free of foreign matter, reducing dents. If any dent is found, the cause must be identified and addressed before continuing production.
  

• Pushing blocks in flattening mold will produce aluminum shavings, so the push block must be cleaned of aluminum shavings underneath after each day's production.