Help designing a die

Do you have at least a large C-clamp to press two flat bars together for the pancake die?
The pancake die would work with C-clamps too although not as convenient as stationary presses.

I recommend pancake dies because they produce uniform and highly repeatable shapes if you need to punch out several copies of a single design pattern.


What kind of tools are available to you?

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Do you have at least a large C-clamp to press two flat bars together for the pancake die?
The pancake die would work with C-clamps too although not as convenient as stationary presses.

I recommend pancake dies because they produce uniform and highly repeatable shapes if you need to punch out several copies of a single design pattern.


What kind of tools are available to you?
 
angelfj1 said:
Bill: I dont have access to a punch press. So, when I am finished using the embossing machine I use metal shears and cut the strip straight across.
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Thanks for the reply. After reading the site again if the machine punches the hole then you can build a simple sanding jig. You might be able to cut the strips to length using a paper cutter that chops instead of slicing paper. Good Luck
 
We have a facility locally that makes dies like the one you need. You just need a single BT that will do the tag in a single operation. The die would run probably 150 ish and you can use a large hyd. press to use it. Tim

http://www.carrlane.com/ for die parts

http://www.clevelandpunch.com/ another source
 
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rangerman said:
If you have an arbor press, a large vise, or a small hydraulic press you can easily punch the shape of your tag with a pancake die.

You can either order the pancake die online or you can make your own in your shop using a fine cutting scroll saw or a jeweler's saw to cut the desired pattern on a hardenable sheet metal.
Sandwich your stock material in the die and press flat with a vise or a similar press to shear the desired pattern
The process works best on thin soft metals like the one you are working with. The quality of your result would highly depend on how good or smooth you shape the cutting edges of your pattern die.

Watch this video and form some idea on how to apply it to your own project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHZtZWfX4aY
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I am actually blown away by this pancake die concept. Seems like an easy way for making intricate sheet metal parts in a single blow. So here are some questions:

1. Do I need to make the die out of some sort of tooling steel, or does any thick sheet metal stock will do? Does it need to be hardened? On the Potter USA website they sell blanks which you can cut with a Jeweler's saw, but maybe a jeweler's saw is diamond based in which case the blank plate could be pre-hardened?
2. How do you work the reliefs? I am under the impression that to make a cutter of any kind you would need at least a 5 degree angle which works as a blade, right? Or should I assume this is a pressure thing in which the pressure is so high we "deform" the metal into cutting it?

When it comes to dies all I know is that I know nothing. But I find the topic very appealing, so would love to learn much more!
 
Our dies use either 4340 or A2. You can use hard rubber or cork to push the material back out the lower die once you acquire snap through. If you have a place with a wire edm, they can make the dies razor sharp and then you surface grind them when they get dull. Tim
 
astjp2 said:
Our dies use either 4340 or A2. You can use hard rubber or cork to push the material back out the lower die once you acquire snap through. If you have a place with a wire edm, they can make the dies razor sharp and then you surface grind them when they get dull. Tim
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What about cutting them with a laser or water jet?
 
angelfj1 said:
I make numbered brass tags which I sell to antique auto enthusiasts. These were used in the 1940's, 50's and 60's to identify cars built in England. These are made with an antique embossing machine. The brass stock that I have been buying is cartridge brass and comes to me in strips that are .875 wide and 36 inches long and .016 thick. The finished tags are usually 3 - 3.5 inches long and the strip stock is .875 wide. I need to devise something to trim the ends of the brass tags to produce a neat, near perfect radius. Or, in other words I want to round off the ends to a perfect semi-circle. I've been thinking about this for some time and I guess I would need some sort of trimming die with a semicircular profile. So, I think I know what I need. Now, I need some help to make it.

Maybe you have a suggestion!

Thanks, Frank

p.s.
This is what the tags look like out of the machine, including equally spaced mounting holes. However, as you can see, the ends are not quite round.
View attachment 65347
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Are you wanting something you can take with you to the shows? How many tags would you need to make before breaking even? Project budget? I still like your tag project. The Very Best to You
 
Bill C. said:
Are you wanting something you can take with you to the shows? How many tags would you need to make before breaking even? Project budget? I still like your tag project. The Very Best to You
Click to expand...


No, I don't sell at shows. My first attempt will be to make up a simple fixture to round off the ends on a belt sander.

I also have some rfq's into the pancake die people.

Many thanks,

Frank
 
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