1: Bed:

The bed is the lower part of the press frame that serves as a table to
which a
Bolster plate is mounted.

2: Bolster Plate:

This is a thick plate secured to the press bed , which is used for
locating and
supporting the die assembly. It is usually 5 to 12.5 cm thick.

3: Die Set:
It is unit assembly which incorporates a lower and upper shoe, two or
more guide parts and guide part bushings.

4: Die Block:

It is a block or a plate which contains a die cavity

5: Lower Shoe:
The lower shoe of the a die set is generally mounted on the bolster
plate of a press. The die block is mounted on the lower shoe, also
the guide post are mounted on it.

6: Punch :

This is male component of a die assembly, which is directly or

indirectly moved by and fastened to the press ram or slide.

7: Upper Shoe:
This is the upper part of the die set which contains guide post
bushings.

8: Punch Plate :

The punch plate or punch retainer fits closely over the body of the
punch and holds it in proper relative position.

9: Back up Plate:
Back up plate or pressure plate is placed so that intensity of pressure
does
not become excessive on punch holder. The plate distributes the
pressure
over a wide area and the intensity of pressure on the punch holder is
reduced
to avoid crushing.

10: Stripper:

It is a plate which is used to strip the metal strip from cutting a noncutting
Punch or die. It may also guide the sheet.

METAL STAMPING DIE TERMINOLOGY

Air hardened - A quenching method used to cool tool steel. Air or a
vacuum cools the steel slowly.
Annealing - heating steel and maintaining the temperature, then
cooling gradually. This removes stress and hardness. Commonly
performed to aide in forming.
Blank holder - a mechanism that prevents a blank from moving
during a draw process
Blanking - process to form, cut or punch out a rough shape of sheet
metal. The resulting part is called a blank.

Bolster plate - a plate attached to the press bed that locates and
holds the die shoe in place.
Case Hardening - hardening to a pre-determined depth to improve
wear resistance and strength for low carbon steel.
Clearance - the space between punch and die. Proper die clearance
is important to maintaining press speed, minimizing tool wear, and
minimizing punch point galling.
Die button - also called a die bushing, is a tube or sleeve that makes
the opening for a piercing punch. The slug passes through the die
button.
Die retainer - A hardened steel block that contains the impressions or
cavities that shape the part as the punch descends, and also holds the
die button.
Die shoe - also referred to as a die holder. A lower die shoe is the
lower plate of a die set that supports the die retainer and die
button. The upper die shoe is the upper plate of a die set that secures
the punch retainer.
Flatness - a geometrical tolerance sometimes required, is measured
as the distance between two parallel planes within which the entire
surface of the part must lie. A flatness measurement determines the
degree, if any, of variation in the surface of a part.
Guide post (or guide pins) - a steel rod positioned in the lower die
shoe that fits into a bushing in the upper die shoe to guide the punch
during operation, allowing precise alignment. The guide post bushing
is a steel tube that directs the upper die shoe.
Hardness - a measure of wear resistance.
Heat Treat - heating process used to optimize tool steel
properties. The process makes specific changes to the metallurgic

structure. Very specific processes of heating, tempering and

quenching significantly benefit a tool steels properties.
Knock out - A punch that ejects the part in a form die.
Lifter - a feature that lifts the part stock over lower tooling features as
the stock is conveyed through a progressive die.
Oil hardened - A quenching method used to cool tool steel. Oil cools
the steel at a moderate rate.
Pilot - a long slender punch that enters the part stock before other
tools form the metal, to assure station to station alignment.
Pressure Pad - a metal pad or plate loaded with a gas spring or high
pressure coils. A pressure pad is used to tightly hold metal being
processed to the lower die shoe before the forming punch strikes.
Punch - the tool attached to the upper die set that forms or penetrates
the part stock
Punch retainer - a device used to mount the punch on the upper die
shoe.
Rockwell - a measurement of hardness used by heat
treaters. Expressed as RC followed by the hardness number.
Secondary operations - treatments performed after the initial metal
stamping process. Cleaning, heat treating, plating or deburring.
Shut height - the vertical measurement from the ram nose (top of the
press bed) to the bottom of the bed where the bolster plate sits, when
the ram is fully closed.
Stop block - a block used to act as a reference point for the height of
the tool set up.

Strength - a measure of resistance to deformation. Often confused

with hardness, which relates to surface resistance to wear, not
formability.
Stripper plate - a thin plate designed to surround a punch that strips
the scrap from the punch.
Stripping - the process of a punch retracting from a die after
penetrating part stock.
Stripping force - the force required to drive a punch through part
stock. Stripping force is determined by many factors including type of
material, lubricant, sharpness of punch, and punch side wall finish.
Tempering - a heat treat process, after quenching as the steel cools
the steel is reheated at a lower temperature to remove
brittleness. Although the process reduces hardness the toughness is
increased.
Water Hardened - a quenching method used to cool tool steel. Water
cools the steel quickly.