Piercing for Metal Stamping

Piercing is one of many operations used in metal stamping to create part features. In piercing, specially shaped, sharp tooling pushes down on a piece of sheet metal and cuts an interior hole, notch, slit, or other feature.

Like stamping in general, piercing is an efficient and precise way to make part features with high repeatability and accuracy. Punch tooling is made from hardened tool steel that resists wear and can hold tolerances for many cycles.

Verdugo Tool & Engineering provides metal stamping services for a range of sheet metal materials including aluminum, steel alloys, and others. We are an ITAR-compliant facility and are ISO 9001:2015-certified for quality management. Learn more about the benefits of piercing and some common use cases for this method of fabrication.

Piercing in sheet metal stamping processes is highly precise and versatile for making a variety of holes and features of different dimensions and shapes. It is fast, more accurate, and far less labor intensive than machining or manual cutting operations.

Some advantages of piercing operations include:

• Precision placement and sizing; Verdugo Tool is capable of meeting very tight tolerances up to 0.001 in.
• Holes cut in many sizes and shapes, and radii down to .005
• Clean cuts that eliminate or greatly reduce the need for additional deburring
• Minimized risk of part or material distortion
• Facilitates fast turnaround and delivery

Just about any material is compatible with piercing operations but hardness, thickness, and other properties make some materials more difficult to pierce than others. When selecting the best material for an application, it’s important to consider the operating conditions it must endure and the physical properties required.

To keep projects cost-effective, understand that some metals are far more expensive than others which impacts production costs for the part and the finished product it goes into. This could eliminate certain materials from consideration, even if they will perform well in the application. The relative ease or difficulty of piercing, cutting, or forming the part, and the risk of part failure due to design or manufacturing challenges is also critical when choosing the best material.

Sheet Metal Materials We Work With

Verdugo is experienced with many types of sheet metal materials, and can discuss suitable options with you so your project is a success. More information about choosing materials is available on our website.

The materials we work with most often include:

• Stainless Steel Alloys (304L, 321, 316, 301). These strong yet formable materials also resist corrosion for food production, medical devices, aerospace, and architectural features.
• Aluminum (6061, 2024, 5052). Aluminum alloys have a high strength-to-weight ratio, and are very ductile and formable for aerospace and automotive applications.
• Carbon Steel. Spring steel, galvanized, cold rolled, carbon, and mild steel are all known for high strength in many industrial and structural applications.
• Beryllium Copper. This material is strong and has excellent electrical conductivity for both electronics, electrical parts, and instrumentation.
• Brass. This copper-zinc alloy resists corrosion and is useful in electrical and decorative applications.
• Inconel. These nickel-chromium superalloys are highly temperature and chemical resistant, and strong for aerospace and chemical processing uses.
• Titanium. Titanium is strong and very lightweight, with 55% the density of steel. It is also corrosion resistant for marine, chemical, and aerospace applications.
• Tungsten. This material is strong and dense, providing excellent impact and wear resistance.
• Molybdenum. Molybdenum is thermally stable and can be used for high precision applications that require dimensional stability.
• Hastelloy. This is a nickel-based superalloy with good temperatures and corrosion resistance for chemical processing and defense applications.
• Tantalum. This material is highly ductile and well-suited to thin or intricate parts.

Piercing creates holes and other internal cut features. Like other stamping processes, piercing is compatible with a range of material types and thicknesses. Therefore, it is suitable for making parts used in many different applications. Piercing is a precision process, so features are positioned accurately and reliably, making it a great option for applications that require components built for safety and performance. Some common examples include:

• Automotive parts and components. Holed body panels, transmission, and engine parts, as well as brackets, clips, and rails often incorporate pierced features.
• Electronics and electrical appliances. Piercing is used to make openings in panels, mounting brackets, enclosures, and switching and connecting components.
• Medical equipment. Surgical instruments, diagnostic systems, implanted devices, and other more complex medical devices and equipment often use pierced and stamped parts of different sizes and shapes.
• Other industries. Pierced components are used for brackets, clips, rails and supports, cabinets, enclosures, and many other applications in the construction, aerospace, and consumer goods industries as well.

At Verdugo Tool & Engineering, we have extensive precision stamping and piercing experience. We also manufacture tooling and dies in-house for continuity of quality throughout your project. We work to provide top-quality stampings, design support, and customer service with every order, large or small. We are always happy to discuss specific compliance requirements to determine if our capabilities can accommodate them.

Verdugo is a trusted provider of stamped components, and our customers benefit from our expertise and commitment to quality. This includes:

Corrective action resolution
Certificates of Conformance
Physical and chemical material certifications
Mercury-free environment certification
Certified DFARs-compliant materials
Versatile process improvement
First Article Reports in alignment with AS9102 standards
Measuring and testing equipment calibrated to ISO standards
ROHS compliance documentation
Records retention, upon request

Contact us today to learn more about our capabilities or request a quote to start your order.