8 08, 2023

Metal Stamping 101: Understanding the Metal Stamping Process

maria2025-02-24T18:58:12+00:00August 8th, 2023|News Blog|

National Material Company is regarded as a global leader in servicing the needs of the steel industry and leading industrial and consumer product manufacturers. With over 50 years of expertise in metals processing and supply chain management, NMC offers metal stamping services as a part of a wide array of steel processing capabilities. Read on to learn more about metal stamping:

Metal Stamping Process

Metal stamping is an incredibly versatile and efficient manufacturing process that takes flat metal sheets or coils and transforms them into precisely shaped and intricate parts. By utilizing force, pressure, and specialized tooling, components with diverse forms — including bends, curves, cutouts, and embossing, are possible. This process offers low costs and higher lead times — both for short and long production runs while keeping consistent quality, dimensional accuracy, and repeatability of the manufactured parts.

How It Works

At the core of metal stamping lies the stamp press, a component responsible for applying the necessary force and pressure to mold the metal sheets or coils into the desired shape or profiles. This powerful machine incorporates specialized tooling known as dies, which performs a variety of stamping operations on the metal. By carefully controlling the movement of the press and the interaction between the dies and the metal in the production line, the stamping process brings forth remarkable transformations in the shape and structure of the material.

Now, let’s dive deeper into the fascinating world of metal stamping and explore its different stages and intricacies. Ready to bring your metal stamping project to life?

Design and Tooling Preparation

Experts begin the process with meticulous design and engineering, where the desired part geometry is carefully planned. Stamping professionals consider multiple factors such as material properties, die design, and tooling requirements. Once the design is finalized, it is plotted using CAD (computer-aided design) or CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) software to ensure accuracy. After the tool design is completed, the specialized tooling (such as blanking dies, forming dies, and piercing dies), is fabricated using a variety of machining tools and technology. The tool and die design must ensure proper material flow, adequate clearance for the metal sheet, and appropriate support for the part during stamping.

Material Preparation

Based on the requirements of the part, specialists select metal sheets or coils. Considerations include mechanical properties such as strength and ductility, as well as other factors like corrosion resistance, conductivity, and cost. The selected material should be compatible with the stamping process and the desired part’s functionality.

Feeding

The selected materials undergo preparation processes like cutting, slitting, and leveling to obtain the proper dimensions and flatness necessary for stamping. The prepared metal sheets or coils are then fed into the stamping press, where an automated feeding mechanism ensures precise positioning for accurate stamping.

Stamping Operations

As the stamp press initiates its action, the dies close together, subjecting the metal to high force and pressure. This pressure deforms the material, shaping it according […]

15 05, 2023

American Metal Processor Spotlight: The Versatility of Steel

maria2023-06-28T21:16:51+00:00May 15th, 2023|News Blog|

Steel is one of the most versatile materials on the planet, and National Material Company, a leading American metal processor, knows it better than most. In this blog, we’ll explore the unique properties that make steel a durable, strong, and adaptable material for a wide range of applications. From construction to transportation to everyday household items, steel has become an integral part of our lives.

Join us as we dive into the versatility of this material and why it continues to be a crucial component in various industries.

Strength and Durability

One of the most notable properties of steel is its strength and durability. Steel is known for its high tensile strength, which means it can withstand a lot of stress without breaking or deforming. This makes it ideal for use in construction, where it can be used to create buildings, bridges, and other structures that need to support a lot of weight and withstand harsh weather conditions.

Flexibility and Malleability

While steel is incredibly strong, it is also remarkably flexible and malleable. This means it can be shaped and molded into a variety of forms without losing its strength. This makes it ideal for use in manufacturing, where it can be used to create everything from car parts to household appliances.

Corrosion Resistance

Another important property of steel is its resistance to corrosion. Steel, when properly treated, is highly resistant to rust and other forms of corrosion, making it an ideal choice for various applications. For instance, steel coils can undergo a galvanizing process in a continuous galvanizing line, like the one available at National Galvanizing – a National Material partner company. This process involves applying a galvanized coating to the steel, which further enhances its corrosion resistance. Galvanized steel is widely used in automotive manufacturing, appliances, agricultural equipment, and other demanding applications where superior corrosion protection is essential.

Notably, galvanized steel body panels are highly sought after by automakers due to their exceptional corrosion protection. These panels enable automakers to offer corrosion-free performance for extended periods, often guaranteeing a decade or longer of rust-free operation.

Recyclability

Steel is also highly recyclable, which makes it an environmentally friendly choice. When steel products reach the end of their useful life, they can be recycled and used to create into new steel products, reducing the need for new steel production, and conserving natural resources.

Cost-Effectiveness

Finally, steel is a cost-effective, widely available material and is easy to manufacture. This makes it an affordable choice for a wide range of applications, from construction to manufacturing to consumer goods. American metal processors like NMC have the expertise to offer cost-effective solutions to their customers. By leveraging their knowledge of steel processing and manufacturing, they can produce high-quality products at competitive prices.

What are the types of steel and how is it determined?

Steel types are determined based on various factors, including their chemical composition, physical properties, and intended use. The main elements that determine the properties of steel are carbon, alloying […]

15 04, 2023

American Steel Processor Spotlight: Roll Forming

maria2023-05-10T16:10:53+00:00April 15th, 2023|News Blog|

Roll forming plays a critical role in the steel manufacturing industry by shaping steel products in a way that can significantly impact their strength, durability, and performance. As you look around, you’ll notice that every object has a shape that distinguishes it from others, and this is equally true for steel products. From the curves and angles of a car frame to the outline and contours of a building’s roof, this process plays a vital role in shaping our world.

That’s why we’re putting roll forming in the spotlight and showcasing how National Material Company (NMC) leads the industry in this process.

Roll forming is a manufacturing process that is commonly used in the steel industry to shape sheet metal into various cross-section profiles. In a nutshell, it’s a continuous process that involves passing a metal strip or sheet through a series of rollers. This method is highly precise, and the rollers are designed and/or calibrated to gradually shape the material – making complex shapes possible with tight tolerances and consistent quality.

How Roll Forming Changed the Steel Industry

Its origin can be traced back to the late 19th century when the first roll forming machines were developed in Europe and the United States. These early machines were used primarily for producing simple shapes, such as roofing panels and gutters, and were powered by manual or hydraulic systems.

Prior to the invention of this process, shaping metal into various forms was a labor-intensive process that required skilled craftsmen to forge, cast, or fabricate the material by hand. Some of the most common processes used are forging, casting, extrusion, machining, and stamping.

While these processes are still used today for certain applications, roll forming offered several advantages over these traditional methods, including faster production times, lower labor costs, and the ability to produce more complex shapes and profiles. By feeding a continuous strip of metal through a series of rollers, roll forming machines could produce long, uniform sections of material with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability.

Roll Forming Process

Determining the specifications for the profile – in addition to form and function – is the initial stage of the production process. This includes the material type, thickness, width, length, and the desired cross-sectional shape.

The profile is then sketched out in 2D, or 3D using CAD (computer-aided design) software and should meet the specific requirements – including any tolerances or other design constraints. A flat pattern (two-dimensional representation) is then created and shows how the profile will look when it is unrolled into a flat sheet.

The next step is to add the necessary tooling to the forming machine. This includes the rollers, guides, and other components that are required to produce the profile. Once the profile design is complete, it is simulated using roll-forming software to ensure that the design is feasible and that the tooling is correct. Once the design is finalized, a prototype of the profile is produced and tested to ensure […]

4 05, 2022

Metals and Steel History: From India and Europe to Modern America

maria2022-08-05T16:32:28+00:00May 4th, 2022|News Blog|

Iron, the Herald of Things to Come

Metals and steel history spans from India and Europe to modern America. For the ancients, much of life was a mystery. At first, humans only utilized the easy-to-find metals, such as gold, silver, and copper, that didn’t require human intervention to become a final product. Other available metals needed treatment before they could be used. For example, smelting was needed to extract iron from iron ore, which is a chemical compound formed from iron and oxygen. Altogether, prehistory was an age where humanity was at the mercy of the colossal powers that govern the universe.

Even still, humans progressed.

A philosopher named Aristotle perceived the essence of virtue. He theorized that virtue lies at the balance point between deficiency and excess.

“The man who shuns and fears everything and stands up to nothing becomes a coward; the man who is afraid of nothing at all but marches up to every danger becomes foolhardy.” — Aristotle

Aristotle would have recognized steel as a virtuous metal. Steel contains anywhere between 0.05% to 0.25% carbon content, the perfect balance between deficiency and excess. Too little carbon and the metal becomes weaker and soft. Too much carbon and the metal will become brittle.

But getting metal to show its virtue as steel would take technological processes that defied humans for many years. While they used bronze, many civilizations neglected iron because iron technology at the time could only produce a “low-density, sponge-like material.” The main obstacles to higher quality iron were designing furnaces with high enough temperatures and the lack of basic knowledge of elements. Eventually, however, the abundance of iron ore (more abundant than the tin needed to make bronze) made it the metal of choice. This discovery began the Iron Age. With the advent of the Iron Age, steel, an alloy of iron, now found itself in ideal circumstances to surface as the supreme metal. However, steel would have to wait until after the industrial revolution to be mass produced.

To make steel, all that’s needed is a bit of charcoal, iron, and a furnace. However, the smelting can be tricky. If “your gangue is ‘wrong’, your bellows are leaky or especially efficient, your charcoal is too reactive, […] all you produce is slag, useless cast iron, or small useless blooms.” So much mystery shrouded steelmaking, that ritual and religion often got mixed up with science. One superstitious smith in the Middle Ages insisted on “quenching the steel in ‘the urine of a redheaded boy‘.”

Humanity would eventually conquer the process over centuries. Now, we will try to follow the oftentimes obscure history of steel technology.

An Abbreviated History of Steel

Egyptians, Hittites, and the Earliest Known Steel-work

The mighty Egyptians don’t need an introduction. They are the builders of pyramids and the Sphinx, of making papyrus and hieroglyphics, appear prominently in much of the Old Testament, and are well represented in museums across the planet. However, in steel lore, Egyptian […]

14 03, 2022

Metals Processing: Advantages of Cold Rolled Steel

Cara2022-08-05T16:30:32+00:00March 14th, 2022|News Blog|

There are many steps required in metal processing in order to achieve a high-quality product. American steel processor, National Material Company (NMC), believes there can be no exception to this rule. Steel is an alloy that is a mixture of both iron and carbon and it is durable, sustainable, and highly desired by many industries. Formal specifications and different grades of steel can affect the performance and use of the metal, but there are additional techniques within the metals’ processing that can alter the strength and finish. In this article, we will focus on one technique known as cold rolling.

Engineers and designers alike must decide on the type of metal they will need to begin work on their projects. Cold rolled steel for many reasons might be the ideal metal. “Cold rolled” refers to the process the steel undergoes before becoming the final product. The temperature is not what we may consider “cold.” Instead, the entire process occurs at room temperature and involves applying great pressure to the steel. However, this does not mean cold rolled steel never experiences its recrystallization temperature. In fact, cold rolled steel endures extreme temperatures and compression rollers just like hot rolled steel. Cold rolled steel simply undergoes more processes once it has cooled down to get exact dimensions and better surface qualities. In many cases, steel may undergo processes like rolling, turning, grinding, and polishing. Each one gives the steel a unique finish.

There are many advantages of cold rolled steel, such as increased strength. (Read about Advanced High Strength Steel, or “AHSS” here.) The compression of the steel at room temperature hardens the strain, giving the metal significant strength when compared to other types of steel. That being said, the steel is not needlessly thick to create this strength. Cold rolling allows for tighter tolerances not found within other steel manufacturing. In other words, the metal will have thinner walls without sacrificing integrity.

One of cold rolled steel’s most desirable aspects is its aesthetics. The cold rolling process enables metal processors like National Material Company to improve the surface finish. It leaves a smooth surface with few imperfections that are ideal if a project requires visual appeal. An excellent surface is great not just for its beauty, however. Cold rolled steel is used in the construction of bridges due to fewer visible surface flaws.

Additionally, cold rolled steel is ideal for projects that require more precision and need to be durable. Bars created with this technique have well-refined edges, and tubes are very straight with excellent concentric uniformity.

Cold rolled steel can be found across many industries today. It is used in parts for home appliances, roof and wall systems, metal furniture, aerospace structural members, and a wide scope of applications too numerous to list. Despite the many steps within the cold rolling process, cold rolled steel has a short manufacturing time and can be delivered promptly so customers can begin work on their projects quickly.

National Material Company […]

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