Die Science: Step-by-step troubleshooting of stamping dies,

Part I
Identifying problems and verifying die setup

STAMPING JOURNAL® JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015

MARCH 6, 2015

By: Art Hedrick

Opinions on how to troubleshoot a stamping operation are not in short supply at any production
stamping or die-building shop. I’m not trying to stereotype diemakers, designers, or technicians, but
their decisions often are made based on insufficient data.
Statistically speaking, if I presented a stamping-related part failure, such as a split, to five typical
diemakers, I would probably get five opinions regarding the best corrective action to take. One would
blame the coil material, one would blame the press operator, one would blame the die designer, one
would blame the lubricant, and the last one would blame the poor die maintenance methods that
took place during the other shift.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. I might sound harsh, but based on more than 30 years in the die
Suena familiar? No eres el único. Esto podría sonar muy exagerado, pero basado en más de 30 años
De experiencia en tool and die.

Business, it is my strong opinion that there is a definite lack of data in the metal stamping and die-building
industry. We often make decisions based on the way we learned the trade, or because it worked last
time, or because “that’s how we do it here.”
I’m not saying that making decisions based on past experience causes failure, but I am asking, Where’s
the data?
No estoy diciendo que las decisiones basadas en experiencias pasadas

Are stampers and die builders expected to make changes to the process based on experience? It’s
a hard pill to swallow, but if I’m completely honest with myself, my years of die experience are of little
value to me. It’s what I have learned in my past that’s of value, not the time I’ve spent. Thirty, 40, or
even 50 years of making poor decisions based on insufficient data doesn’t add up to much value.
The key is to understand why failures occur and to support your corrective decisions with data, not
opinions. To do this, you can use a simple, multistep troubleshooting process, tailoring it for your
resources, operating procedures, and die creation.

Step 1—Identify Part Problems

Identifying part problems is usually fairly easy. These can include splitting, cracking, nonconforming
part geometry, wrinkling, loose metal, understrained parts, excessive burrs, scratches, dents, slug
depressions, and score marks.

The person inspecting the part needs to have a clear understanding of each type of failure and be
able to communicate it clearly to the person responsible for correcting the problem.

Step 2—Verify That the Die Is Set up Properly

 Very often stampers make major changes to a die, only to find out the die was not set up correctly in
the first place. Here are a few basic things to check:

Con regularidad tool&die t

 Verify the die shut height, stop block lead readings, and press tonnage readings. If you are using

 bottom makers, verify that they are visible and to the correct depth in the part and/or scrap.
 Make sure the die is tight against the positive location stops and is parallel to the coil.
 Verify that the lubricant application method is correct, ensure the die and metal are getting
lubricated as necessary, and make sure all sprayers and rollers are working properly.
 Check the thickness, width, and metal mechanical properties of the incoming coil material.
 Verify the pilot and feed release timing on progressive dies.
 Make sure the feed distance (pitch) is set correctly.
 Ensure that pressure systems, such as nitrogen systems, press cushions, and hydraulic pressure
systems, are charged to the correct operating pressure.
 Verify that the die is flush with the bolster plate and ram. Make sure there is no debris underneath
the die shoes, castings, or plates.
 Check all remaining press parameters, such as counterbalance and clutch pressure.
 Make sure all locators and gauges are in their correct positions and that the blank is being properly
located.
 Verify that there are no pieces of loose scrap, slugs, or obstructions in the die.
 Ensure the coil material is being adequately straightened, leveled, and flattened before entering the
die. Periodic adjustments in the straightening equipment might be needed during production.
 Make sure scrap and slugs falling from the die are being carried away properly and that all slug
shuts and shakers are functioning correctly.
 Verify that all bolts securing the die in the press are tight.

As much as I like to present data based on an understanding of sheet metal physics and dies,
occasionally I still find myself standing at the press scratching my head and asking myself, What in
the world is going on here?

The key is to eliminate systematically, one by one, all of the controlling variables. Only then can you
say, “Based on the data presented or discovered, it is my opinion that ….”

I’ll present the rest of the troubleshooting steps in Part II, which will appear in the March/April issue.

Die Science: How to destroy a die in 7 easy steps (or, how to

work every Sunday)
STAMPING JOURNAL® JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016
JANUARY 7, 2016

By: Art Hedrick

Art Hedrick applies humor to a not-so-funny problem.

In the November/December 2013 issue of STAMPING Journal, I wrote an article called "How to
destroy a press." I received a pretty good response from it, so I decided to write down some of my
thoughts about dies are often damaged.

Please note that this article highlights the don’ts. You might laugh at some of these, but believe me,
I’ve seen them all.

1_Never Perform Scheduled Die Maintenance

1_ Nunca hagas mantenimiento preventivo a los troqueles
Avoid replacing springs, sharpening punches, and cleaning or lubricating working
surfaces. Be sure to load all lubeless wear plates with extra-heavy, high-pressure
lithium grease. Don’t worry about missing dowel pins, and don’t tighten any of the
socket head cap screws. Never replace a gas spring until it fails to return. Don’t replace
any springs; let broken springs cause your pressure pads to tilt and break die sections.
Be sure to use several different spring strengths and lengths to ensure poor pressure
distribution. If a dowel is loose, just peen the hole over with a hammer. If wear surfaces
are galled, just ignore them—sooner or later they will weld themselves to the mating
section.
Be sure to use the wrong grinding wheel when sharpening die sections. When available, use very
hard-bond, fine-grit wheels for rough grinding. This will ensure that the tool steel will be damaged.
Avoid using coolant during grinding as well.

Never clean your dies. Instead, leave all of the grinding grit in them. Never inspect gas cylinders for
leaks, and always overpressurize them so that they blow out seals as soon as possible. Don’t
inspect the die before it goes into the press. Just assume that you took care of all of your tools and
that you didn’t leave your micrometer under a pressure pad that bottoms out on the die.

1. Shim Sections Crooked

Shim cutting and forming sections crooked so you will be certain to destroy the die. Be sure to make
them tilt a lot. Avoid grinding the bottoms flat; just keep shimming them crooked. Also be sure to use
more than three shims under each block. If you really want cutting sections to break, use 15 shims,
each 0.005 inch, under a block instead of a single 0.075-in. shim. This will ensure that the tool steel
section deflects and bends under load.

Make sure that your shims overhang the slug drop area, because this will surely keep the slugs from
falling through the die. In fact, to guarantee a slug up, forget putting the slug drop area in the shim
altogether. Just assume that the slugs will make their own holes.

3. Weld on Tool Steel Without Preheating It First

Avoid preheating tool steel sections before welding on them, especially if they are air-hardened or
CPM® grades. Weld them cold. Be sure to put on 10 times more weld than you need.

Don’t worry about postheating or drawing the tool steel back after welding it. Don’t grind out any tool
steel cracks—just weld over them. Also be sure to weld the die right in the press so that weld spatter
goes all over in the die.
4. Never Run Lube on Your Die
4. Nunca uses lubricacion en el troquel en la corrida.

Never use lube on your die, especially if you’re doing operations such as deep drawing
of stainless or high-strength steel. If you are going to use lube, mix it with the hand
check method. If it feels right, it must be right. This will surely result in scoring and
galling.
Don’t worry about getting lube where it is most effective—just blast the stop block will gallons of the
stuff. Never lubricate both sides of the strip. And don’t forget to run heavy chlorinated lubes on solid-
carbide dies. Chlorine will surely result in carbide damage.

5. Use a Poor Press

Be sure to install a high-tonnage, precision-alignment die in an old, beat-up gap-frame press. Be

sure the frame of the press is cracked. Make sure you use all of the tonnage to ensure maximum
press deflection, resulting in massive punch and die section breakage.

Don’t worry if the ram of the press is out of parallel with the bolster plate. Just assume that the die
will make everything flat and parallel.

6. Set Your Shut Height Incorrectly

To use the stop blocks incorrectly, remove them and set your shut height based on how it sounds
when the ram hits bottom. If you’re not getting a good part, keep lowering the ram until everything is
just right. Heck, you might even get a “twofer” out of that one—you will break the press and the die!
Use things like old cigarette butts and a matchstick to set the shut height.

7. Ignore All Die Protection Methods

If your die is equipped with die protection sensors and limit switches, unhook them; better yet, throw
them out. Just assume that the press operator is really quick and will be able to avoid crashes.

I hope I haven’t sounded too cynical. I have always felt that it is just as important to know what not to
do as what to do. I have just scratched the surface of the don’ts. I’m sure there are hundreds of other
things that could destroy a die.

Until next time … best of luck!

Die Science: Training new tool- and diemakers

STAMPING JOURNAL® NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015
NOVEMBER 27, 2015

By: Art Hedrick

I must get two or three calls a week from companies needing tool- and diemakers, die maintenance
specialists, or die repair specialists. The demand for skilled labor has skyrocketed in the last year or
so.

Unfortunately, most of the time I can’t help them.

The Dwindling Talent Pool

While the demand for skilled mechanical jobs goes up, high schools continue to cut back or, in some
cases, completely eliminate their skilled-trades programs. It’s truly a shame. To compound the
problem, the number of people wanting to go into the skilled-trades programs has dropped.
Unfortunately, society seems to think a college or university degree is required to achieve success.

I am a tool- and diemaker. I am proud of it. If I had to start over again, I would be a tool- and
diemaker. I don’t have a college degree, yet I travel around the world conducting training and
performing consulting. I don’t have a college degree, but I am the author of this column and have
been for almost 15 years. I don’t have a college degree, but I make a good living doing what I love.

The tool and die trade is a professional career equal to any career that requires a college or
university degree. It requires a great deal of skill and knowledge to design, troubleshoot, and repair
stamping dies.

How to Make a Skilled Worker

So where do you find these skilled people? Well, you don’t. You make them from the resources you have.
That means you are responsible for training them. Some of that training can be internal, and some might
have to be done at a local college or trade school.
Following are training topics that are critical to the success of apprentices and trainees:
The basics of the sheet metal stamping process and the role of dies.
The types of tool steels available and their best applications, as well as tool steel coatings, types, and
application methods.
Stamping die setup procedures and methods.
The key principles of designing, building, and troubleshooting progressive dies.
How to process and troubleshoot drawing and stretching operations for the proper design of deep-
drawing and stretching dies.
How to design a product for formability, focusing on product design features from a die engineer’s
perspective.
Stamping die maintenance and troubleshooting, focusing on identifying and correcting the root causes of
stamping die problems.
How to work efficiently and effectively.
The effectiveness of an organization greatly depends on each employee’s ability to communicate. In
addition, the working culture must stimulate internal motivation from its employees. A leadership program
provides an introduction to the key concepts of communication, counseling, teams and teambuilding,
leadership behaviors, internal motivation principles, and performance.
Como obtener matriceros capacitados?
Entonces como encontramos estos matriceros capacitados?

Spread the Good Word

These are just a few of the die-related classes that you can offer to your staff. Other classes might
include math, trigonometry, geometry, metrology, safety and first aid, and quality control.
If you are unable to find sources for this training, consider appointing someone from your own company
to be the trainer. An internal trainer is likely to know more about how the shop operates than an
external source, such as the local college.
In today’s world, you have to grow your own skilled labor. And if you are a tool and diemaker or
stamping technician, please do me a favor and help to change the perception of our career. The next
generation needs to understand this is a professional and desirable career path.
Until next time … best of luck!

Comunicar las buenas nuevas

Estas son solo algunas clases relacionadas a los troqueles que ud. Puede
ofrecer a su equipo.