The Difference Between Progressive Die Stamping and Multi-Slide

Different production procedures involve, among other materials, the use of precision metal-stamped products made of slit coil steel, copper and brass. These products are produced using specially constructed energy press stamping machines to generate components from coiled metal or other comparable material.

There are more than one stamping machine form. The first is the progressive die stamping machine that enables to operate on a metal piece until a final part is manufactured. This sort of machine combines an automatic feeding system with punching, coining, bending, and other procedures for altering and converting metal raw material into finished products.

Another sort of stamping machine is a four-slide / multi-slide stamping machine that makes forms and bends of variable complexities possible. This sort of device is used in the mass production of stamped bar or wire inventory parts.

Progressive die stamping machines use vertical movement when processing slit coil metal. Within a die, bending and cutting operations are carried out simultaneously to complete at least one part of each machine stroke. The coiled material is fed by the die and processed in steps gradually. Depending on the complexity of the component, progressive die tooling can have as little as one or as many as 40 moves. Due to the nature of the method requiring material to be pushed with each stroke of the instrument into the next station, a progressive die must pilot material to find it within the die before cutting and forming. The pilot holes requirement within the progressive material strip can sometimes result in excessive scraping or waste in the process.

However, it takes 38 percent less time to set up progressive die machines than four-slide or multi-slide machines. This can enable producers to generate lower lot sizes and make manufacturing scheduling more flexible in order to generate only what customers need when they need it. The principles developed by legendary Japanese production engineer Shigeo Shingo: SMED can be introduced to progressive die machines and is normal practice at Sipxmach. Also, progressive dies can produce more than one portion per stroke, making them suitable for high volume production: Brackets Terminals Lead frames Busbars Shields Four-Slide / Multi-Slide Stamping As the name indicates, four-slide metal stamping machines have four moving slides. In comparison, there may be more than four moving slides on multi-slide stamping machines. Four-slide or multi-slide metal stamping operates horizontally depending on correct angles, with the coil material striking buttons (rams) in the machine to generate the completed item.

The servo motors or mechanically actuated cams acting on the slides make it possible to produce complicated bends and forms. It is feasible to add threading, screw insertion, staking and other value-added assembly activities with this sort of device.

Four-slide and multi-slide stamping on average generates 31 percent less scrap than gradual die stamping. This is made possible by removing the pilot holes requirement and replacing pilot activities with slotted blank holders that enable the portion to move from punching to forming activities without pilots being required. This also makes it possible for Sipxmach to buy raw material to the precise length of the portion and eliminate trimming. Since Four-slide manufacturing enables an infinite number of aircraft and axes to be used, it can generate up to 375 components per minute, making it suitable for mass production of highly complex components such as: Clips Clamps Fasteners Bushings Jaws Yokes For context, 96 percent of all Sipxmach clips are produced using multi-slide die stamping.

Because multi-slide machines are much more complicated than progressive die machines, they can take longer to set up. Four-slide manufacturing is perfect for high-volume parts where material price and scrap are major contributing factors to the component’s price.

They may be distinct, but multi-slide stamping and progressive die stamping each has their own set of benefits. Whatever technique of stamping is correct for your requirements, you can be sure that Sipxmach Manufacturing Company can provide you with the skills. We carry out a thorough evaluation of each RFQ and provide the most cost-effective manufacturing solution for our clients.

For 15 years, Sipxmach has been supplying custom metal stamping, assemblies and wire forms, and our installations include nearly 80 metal stamping and wire forming machines operating 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. From custom prototyping to high-volume orders comprising 80 million components, we provide everything.