Stamping is a forming process that uses the pressure of a press and a die to apply an external force to plates, strips, tubes, and profiles, causing them to undergo plastic deformation or separation, thereby obtaining parts (stamping parts) of the desired shape and size. Stamping and forging belong to the same category of plastic processing (or pressure processing), collectively known as stamping and forging. The main raw materials for stamping are hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel plates and steel strips. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of the world's steel production is in the form of plates, the majority of which are stamped into finished products. Automobile bodies, chassis, fuel tanks, heat dissipation fins, boiler drums, container shells, motor and electrical iron cores of silicon steel, etc., are all stamped. A large number of stamping parts are also found in instruments and meters, household appliances, bicycles, office machinery, and daily necessities.
Stamping is a production technology that uses the power of ordinary or special stamping equipment to directly apply deformation force to the plate in the mold and deform it to obtain parts of certain shape, size and performance. Plate, mold and equipment are the three elements of stamping. According to the temperature of stamping, it can be divided into hot stamping and cold stamping. The former is suitable for the processing of plates with high deformation resistance and poor plasticity; the latter is carried out at room temperature and is a common stamping method for thin plates. It is one of the main methods of metal plastic processing (or pressure processing) and also belongs to the engineering technology of material forming.
The mold used for stamping is called a stamping mold, often abbreviated as a die. A die is a specialized tool that processes materials (metals or non-metals) into the required stamped parts in batches. Dies are essential in stamping, and without suitable dies, batch stamping production is difficult to carry out; without advanced dies, advanced stamping processes cannot be realized. The stamping process, along with the mold, stamping equipment, and stamping materials, constitutes the three elements of stamping processing, and only when they are combined can the stamped parts be obtained.