Progressive die stamping (also referred to as continuous die stamping or 順送りプレス加工) is a highly automated metalworking process where a coil or strip of sheet metal is advanced through a series of consecutive stations in a single die set installed on a press.
Each station performs one or more specific operations (such as piercing, blanking, bending, drawing, and flanging) simultaneously. With every stroke of the press, the material advances by a precise step distance or pitch, eventually outputting a completed part at the final station.
1. Key Working Mechanics
To achieve highly stable, continuous production, progressive die stamping relies on several specialized structural elements:
- The Carrier Web (Bridge): Unlike transfer dies where parts are completely detached between stations, in progressive stamping, the workpieces remain connected to the raw strip throughout the process by a carrier web. Depending on the part’s shape, designers select specific carrier styles, such as:
- Solid carriers.
- Center carriers or lance-and-carry at the center.
- Side carriers or one-side carriers.
- Spiral carriers or stretch webs (which allow vertical flexing during deep-drawing operations).
- Piloting (Registration): To prevent mis-hits and maintain micro-level precision as the strip moves, pilots (guiding pins) enter pre-pierced pilot holes to pull the strip into perfect alignment and lock it into registration before the punches descend.
- Lifting & Transport: After each press stroke, lifters raise the strip off the die face so that it can be cleanly advanced to the next station without catching on die edges.
- Final Cutoff: At the final station, the finished part is blanked or cut off, separating it from the carrier web and releasing it from the die, while the remaining scrap skeleton is discarded.
2. Advantages of the Process
- High Efficiency & Speed: Capable of running at rapid speeds (often ranging from 100 to over 1000 strokes per minute in high-speed precision presses), making it highly economical for large production volumes.
- Micro-Level Accuracy: Since all operations occur in a single die with integrated guiding and piloting systems, the pitch error can be held extremely tight, ensuring high dimensional consistency.
- Operator Safety: Because the coil feeding, stamping, and part ejection are fully automated, operators do not need to manually handle workpieces near the dangerous slide area.
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