CAPP for Stamping Dies

First stage in the production of any sheet metal part is to 'Stamp' its outline from a flat sheet. This is done on the presses by Blanking and Piercing Operations performed by the punches and dies. Specific portions of the blank are subsequently Bent to produce bending features on the part. Blanking, Piercing and Bending form three basic operations on most sheet metal components.

Two types of dies are commonly employed to carry out the sequence of operations decided by the Process Planner viz., the Progressive Dies and the Component Dies. In Progressive Dies, the sequence of operations is split over various stages of the die block. The sheet progressively increments through the die stations wherein the different features are successively produced. In contrast, in a Compound die, various features are produced at a single station by carrying out operations successively by a single combination tool. Compound dies are complex to design and costly to produce and maintain compared to Progressive ones.

In industry, Progressive dies are more popular and widely used due to their simplicity of design, manufacture and maintenance. The process planner uses his/her experience in deciding which group of operations should be done in each station/stage and their overall sequence strategy. This is an important decision which governs the die design, part accuracy and productivity .