How To Die Cut Sheet Metal

A handheld cutting tool fitted with a metal cut off wheel will easily cut through sheet.

How to die cut sheet metal.

The cutting surface of the die is the edge of hardened steel strips known as steel rule. Blanking is a cutting process in which a piece of sheet metal is removed from a larger piece of stock by applying a great enough shearing force in this process the piece removed called the blank is not scrap but rather the desired part blanking can be used to cutout parts in almost any 2d shape but is most commonly used to cut workpieces with simple geometries that will be further shaped. For less precise cuts metal shears cut sterling silver quickly. I know i will need to buy a lot more of these to accommodate all of the dies i have and will buy in the future.

Blanking a dual purpose cutting operation usually performed on a larger scale blanking is used in operations in which the slug is saved for further pressworking it also is used to cut finished piece parts free from the sheet metal. To cut metal the die must first have a cutting punch and a mating section into which the punch enters. Steel rule die also known as cookie cutter dies are used for cutting sheet metal and softer materials such as plastics wood cork felt fabrics and paperboard. Die cutting is a broad term but in crafting the act of die cutting refers to a process in which you use a machine to mass produce cut out shapes.

But i cut about 3 inches off the side of them so i can put them into a 3l really usefulbox that way all my magnetic die sheets are standing and i can easily leaf through them. These steel rules are usually located using saw or laser cut grooves in plywood. Jigsaws and metal cutting band saws are more work but can make most cuts in light to medium sheet metal. A die is a mold like a cookie cutter that is used to punch through a sheet of material to create multiple pieces of the same exact shape.

The sheet metal cutting clearance value may be added to either the punch or die depending on if it is a blanking or a punching operation. The profiled sheet metal slug removed from the sheet by this process is called the blank or starting piece of sheet metal that will be cut or formed later see. You can create the same shape with the exact same dimensions over and over without using scissors stencils or a craft knife. The cutting clearance the distance between the cutting sections varies with respect to the metal type thickness hardness and desired edge quality.

Metal shears may resemble scissors or they may look more like small gardening shears. Basically given a certain size does the hole have to be that size or is it important that the blank be that size.