The core application and value of plain press in hardware manufacturing

In the increasingly modernized and automated hardware manufacturing field, various high-precision and cutting-edge equipment are constantly emerging. However, as one of the most fundamental and classic equipment in metal plastic processing, plain presss still occupy an irreplaceable and important position due to their simple structure, convenient operation, high efficiency, low cost, and wide applicability. It forms the cornerstone of large-scale and economical production of hardware parts, widely used in every corner from daily hardware to industrial components. Its core applications are mainly reflected in the following process aspects:

1. Separation process: precise "cutting" of materials

The separation process refers to the use of a powerful impact force from a plain press to separate the sheet metal or profile from each other along closed or non closed contour lines, thereby obtaining the desired shape and size of the workpiece. This is the most basic and widely used application of plain presss.
1. Punching: This is a general term for the separation process, which can be further divided into cutting and punching.

2. Material dropping: The stamped parts are the required components, and the remaining parts are waste materials. This process is mainly used for producing flat shaped parts blanks, such as various gaskets, electrical casings, lock panels, and preliminary shapes of tableware. Through a simple cutting die, a plain press can achieve precise shape cutting of one or more parts in one stamping, with extremely high efficiency.

3. Punching: In contrast to blanking, punching the required holes on the processed workpiece, the punched part is waste, and the remaining part is the workpiece. Almost all hardware components with holes, from simple screw washers to complex chassis heat dissipation mesh holes, rely on the punching process of plain presss for hole processing. It can efficiently process various holes such as circular, square, and irregular shapes, with good consistency in size.
4. Shear: Although more professional shearing machines are used for large straight line cutting of sheet metal, plain presss can also achieve similar functions through specific molds, or serve as trimming and cutting steps in progressive dies to separate continuously stamped parts from the material strip.

5. Precision cutting: Compared to ordinary cutting, using special precision punching molds (although not precision punching machines, but through mold optimization) can also achieve higher cross-sectional smoothness cutting on plain presss, meeting the production of parts with less extreme requirements for cutting quality.

2. Forming process: plastic "shaping" of materials

The forming process is to use the pressure of a regular punching machine to cause plastic deformation of the sheet metal blank without damaging the integrity of the material, thereby obtaining a three-dimensional part with a certain shape, size, and accuracy.
1. Bending: This is the process of stamping a flat blank into a certain angle and shape. The vast majority of metal bending parts in hardware manufacturing originate from this process, such as common "U" - shaped brackets, "V" - shaped slots, cabinet sheet metal parts, hinges, etc. Ordinary punching machines combined with bending molds can quickly and accurately complete single or multi angle bending, ensuring the consistency of angles in batch products.
2. Deep drawing: also known as drawing, is the main method for manufacturing hollow parts. It stamps flat blanks into various hollow parts with openings, or further changes the shape and size of the hollow parts. Products that can be seen everywhere in daily life, such as stainless steel bowls and basins, aluminum cans (which require other processes later), car fuel tanks, various metal casings, etc., initially relied on the deep drawing ability of plain presss for their formation. By controlling parameters such as edge pressure and clearance, the production of deep drawn parts with varying depths and shapes can be achieved.
3. Flanging: A forming method in which an upright edge is flipped along a certain curve on a prefabricated hole sheet or the outer edge of a workpiece. This is often used to process threaded bottom holes, increase the rigidity of parts, or provide mating edges for subsequent assembly. For example, screw holes on sheet metal parts are often increased in strength and thread protection through flanging process.
4. Shrinking and expanding: Forming the mouth of hollow or tubular parts by reducing or enlarging the diameter. This is very common in the manufacturing of pipe fittings, shell casings, and other products.

5. Shaping and leveling: Minor plastic deformation is applied to the formed stamped parts to improve their shape and dimensional accuracy, or to eliminate warping and unevenness that may have occurred in previous processes. Ordinary punching machines have stable pressure and are very suitable for this type of precision machining.

3. Composite process and progressive die production: the ultimate embodiment of efficiency

In actual production, in order to maximize the production efficiency of plain presss, the above-mentioned multiple single processes are often combined.
1. Composite die stamping: In one stroke of a mold, two or more different processes are simultaneously completed at the same workstation of the mold. For example, the "cutting punching" composite die can simultaneously complete the outer cutting and inner hole punching of a gasket in one stamping, obtaining a complete part at once with high precision and doubled efficiency.
2. Progressive die stamping: Decompose the machining process of the part into several simple stamping steps and arrange them in sequence on a set of molds. The sheet metal is gradually fed into the mold, and in each stroke of the ordinary punch press, different stamping processes are completed at different workstations. After all the steps, a complete part is finally obtained. This method achieves high-speed, automated continuous production and is the most efficient application form of plain presss in large-scale hardware manufacturing. It is commonly used for producing small hardware components with complex structures and huge output.

In summary, the application of ordinary punch presses in hardware manufacturing runs through the entire process from raw material segmentation to complex part forming. Its value lies not only in the ability to execute diverse stamping processes, but also in the excellent economic benefits and production flexibility it brings.

Although it may not be as intelligent, accurate, and capable of forming complex surfaces as high-end CNC punching machines or servo presses, for a large number of hardware products with relatively standardized structures, the "low-cost, high-yield" solution provided by plain presss combined with mature mold technology is incomparable to other equipment. It has mature technology, low maintenance costs, and relatively relaxed requirements for operator skills, which makes it still radiate strong vitality in some production processes of small and medium-sized hardware enterprises and even large factories. Therefore, in the foreseeable future, plain presss will still be an indispensable key infrastructure equipment in the hardware manufacturing industry, continuing to lay a solid material foundation for modern industrial society.