{"id":597,"date":"2026-10-21T12:35:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T04:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/?p=597"},"modified":"2026-10-21T12:35:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T04:35:04","slug":"what-are-the-blanking-processes-in-progressive-dies-44ed-8b7cff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/21\/what-are-the-blanking-processes-in-progressive-dies-44ed-8b7cff\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the blanking processes in progressive dies?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey there, Progressive Dies<\/a><\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re knee-deep in stamping parts or just starting to figure out why some automotive brackets, electronic connectors, or even appliance panels come out so clean and consistent, you\u2019ve probably heard the term \u201cprogressive dies\u201d thrown around. As someone who\u2019s been supplying progressive dies for over 15 years now, I get it\u2014most folks hear the phrase and zone out, thinking it\u2019s all just jargon for die-making nerds. But the blanking processes that happen inside these dies are actually the backbone of how almost all flat metal parts get mass-produced right now. Today, I\u2019m breaking down exactly what those blanking processes are, how they work, and why the right die (and the right supplier) makes all the difference.<\/p>\n

First off, let\u2019s get one thing straight: progressive dies aren\u2019t some fancy, unapproachable tool. They\u2019re just a set of custom metal stamping dies that do multiple operations at once, in sequence, as a metal coil feeds through the die press. No stopping, no reloading, no moving parts between steps\u2014just one smooth feed, one press cycle, and a finished part (or close to it) at the end. Blanking, to put it simply, is the first step in most progressive die sequences: it\u2019s where you cut the exact shape of the part you need from the metal strip, separated from the scrap that goes back to be recycled. But it\u2019s not as straightforward as just punching a hole or cutting a square. There are a few different blanking processes that we build into dies, depending on what you\u2019re making, the material you\u2019re using, and how tight your tolerances are.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the most basic one: conventional blanking. This is what most people picture when they think of stamping. You have two main parts of the blanking section in the die: the punch (the sharp, shaped part that does the cutting) and the die shoe (the matching cavity that the punch pushes the metal into). When the press comes down, the punch slams into the metal strip, pushing it into the die cavity, and the strip shears clean along the edge of the punch. The scrap strip keeps moving through the die, and the cut part falls into a bin or a part chute at the end of the sequence. For a lot of low-tolerance parts\u2014like simple brackets, where the edge just needs to be straight, not mirror-perfect\u2014conventional blanking works great. But here\u2019s the catch: conventional blanking leaves a tiny rough edge (called a \u201cbreakaway edge\u201d) on the part, and if you need super tight tolerances, like for medical components or electrical connectors that fit into tiny slots, that rough edge can mess things up. We use conventional blanking all the time for our standard dies, but we\u2019ll usually note it up front if that\u2019s what the job needs, so customers don\u2019t get surprised later.<\/p>\n

Next up is fine blanking. This is where progressive dies step up their game for high-precision parts. Fine blanking isn\u2019t just a single punch and die\u2014it adds two extra features to the blanking section: a counterhold (a clamp that presses down on the metal strip right before the punch hits) and a V-ring (a small, raised ring around the punch that locks the metal in place). No more shifting, no more tearing, no more that rough breakaway edge. When the press comes down, the punch cuts the part almost perfectly smooth, with tolerances as tight as 0.001 inches, and edges that are so clean you barely need any secondary finishing. I worked on a job a few years back for a customer making tiny connector pins for a new laptop\u2014they needed edges so smooth that the pins wouldn\u2019t scratch the plastic housings they slot into, and fine blanking was the only way to pull it off in a progressive die, instead of using a slow, expensive single-action press. The trick here is that fine blanking requires a higher tonnage press, but because it\u2019s all done in sequence in a progressive die, the overall production time is way lower than making each pin individually. We build fine blanking sections into our dies when customers specify tight tolerances, and we always do a test run before delivering to make sure the edges are exactly what they need.<\/p>\n

Wait, there\u2019s also stepped blanking, right? A lot of people don\u2019t realize that blanking doesn\u2019t have to be a single step. If you need a part with two or more different thicknesses, or a shape that has a small inner cut and a larger outer cut, stepped blanking splits that into two or more punch-and-die sets in the same die. Let\u2019s say you need a circular part that has a small 0.5-inch inner disc and a 2-inch outer ring. Instead of cutting both at once, we can put a smaller punch first to cut the inner disc, then a larger punch after that to cut the outer ring. The inner disc falls out as scrap, the outer part is the finished piece, and everything stays on the strip until the end of the die. Stepped blanking is super useful for parts that would be too hard to cut in one go without warping\u2014thin aluminum, for example, can twist if you try to punch a large shape in a single step. We use stepped blanking a lot for appliance parts, like the metal frames inside washing machines, where they have multiple tabs and cutouts that need to line up perfectly.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not forget about shaving blanking. This is kind of a secondary blanking process that\u2019s built right into the die, not something you do after the part comes out. Shaving is for when even fine blanking leaves a tiny bit of extra material on the edge\u2014like a 0.0005-inch burr that\u2019s too small to see but enough to mess up a tight fit. Instead of sending the part to a deburring machine (which adds time and cost), we add a small shaving punch and die in the progressive die, right after the main blanking step. The shaving punch cuts off just that tiny extra layer, leaving the edge perfectly smooth and within tolerance. I had a customer a few months back making parts for a medical pump that had to fit into a 0.25-inch slot with no play\u2014they thought fine blanking was enough, but when we ran a test, there was a micro-burr that would have caused the pump to jam. Adding a shaving blanking section fixed it right up, and we didn\u2019t have to adjust their production process at all because it was all done in the same die.<\/p>\n

Now, here\u2019s the thing I wish more people knew: the blanking process in a progressive die isn\u2019t just about picking the right punch size. It\u2019s about matching the blanking step to every other step in the die sequence. Like, if you have a part that needs to be bent, or have holes punched, or be formed into a shape after blanking, the blanking step has to be timed right. If you blank too early, the part might shift as it goes through the forming steps. If you blank too late, the strip might stretch or tear before you get to the cutting. We always do a full feasibility check when a customer sends us a drawing, and part of that is mapping out where the blanking step goes in the sequence. For example, if we\u2019re making a metal bracket that has a few holes and a 90-degree bend, we\u2019ll usually blank the main shape first, then punch the holes, then do the bend. If we punched the holes first, the stress of the bend would make the holes go out of shape. It\u2019s all interconnected, which is why a good progressive die supplier doesn\u2019t just build dies\u2014they design the entire process around the blanking step.<\/p>\n

I also want to talk about common mistakes we see customers make when it comes to blanking processes in progressive dies. A lot of folks think they can just grab a cheap die from a random supplier, and the blanking will work. But cheap dies usually have soft punches, or poorly aligned die shoes, or no counterhold if they\u2019re supposed to use fine blanking. What happens then? The punch wears out fast, the edges get rough, the parts are inconsistent, and they have to stop production every hour to replace punches. We had a customer come to us a year ago who had a die from another supplier for electronic connectors\u2014they were getting 10,000 good parts a day, but the blanking edges were so rough that 10% of the parts were getting rejected. We redesigned the blanking section with fine blanking, hardened punches, and precision alignment, and within a week they were getting 99.5% good parts, with no downtime from punch wear. That\u2019s the difference between knowing what you\u2019re doing with blanking processes and cutting corners.<\/p>\n

Another mistake: not accounting for material thickness. Blanking thin material (like 0.005-inch copper for connectors) is way different than blanking thick steel (like 0.25-inch steel for truck parts). For thin materials, we use smaller clearance between the punch and die shoe\u2014usually 5-8% of the material thickness\u2014so the cut is clean. For thick materials, we need more clearance, like 10-15%, because the metal is stiffer and won\u2019t tear as much. If you use the wrong clearance, you get either a rough edge (too little) or a distorted part (too much). We always adjust that clearance specifically for each blanking step in the die, and we document it for each job so customers don\u2019t have to figure it out themselves.<\/p>\n

Now, if you\u2019re sitting there thinking, \u201cOkay, that makes sense, but do I even need a progressive die for my parts?\u201d Let\u2019s be real: if you\u2019re making 100 parts a year, a single blanking die is fine. But if you\u2019re making 10,000 parts a month or more, progressive dies with built-in blanking processes are the way to go. They\u2019re faster, more consistent, less wasteful (the scrap strip gets recycled, so you save on material costs), and you get finished parts right out of the die without extra steps. We\u2019ve built dies for everyone from small startups making custom brackets to big automotive OEMs making parts for cars that sell millions of units a year. No matter the size of the job, we tailor the blanking processes to exactly what you need.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the blanking process in a progressive die is what sets the quality of every part that comes out. It\u2019s not the flashiest step\u2014forming and bending get all the attention\u2014but if the blanking is off, nothing else matters. A perfectly shaped part that\u2019s cut wrong will be unusable, no matter how smooth its edges are or how well it bends. That\u2019s why we take the time to walk through every blanking step with our customers, answer their questions, and make sure they understand exactly what they\u2019re getting before we build anything. We don\u2019t just sell dies\u2014we build reliable, consistent tooling that keeps your production running without hiccups.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to upgrade your current dies, have a part that\u2019s giving you trouble with blanking, or just want to learn more about what progressive dies can do for your production, reach out to us to talk through your project. We don\u2019t do one-size-fits-all dies, and we\u2019ll never push a blanking process that doesn\u2019t fit your needs.<\/p>\n

Metal Stamping Dies<\/a> REFERENCES<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Lange, K. (1985). Handbook of Metal Forming. McGraw-Hill.<\/li>\n
  2. Gastrow, H. (1997). The Die Design Handbook (3rd ed.). Society of Manufacturing Engineers.<\/li>\n
  3. Tooling and Manufacturing Association. (2008). Progressive Die Design Principles and Practices. TMA Press.<\/li>\n
  4. Johnson, W., & Slater, R. A. C. (1975). Engineering Metal Forming. Cambridge University Press.<\/li>\n
  5. DeGarmo, E. P., Black, J. T., & Kohser, R. A. (2020). Materials and Processes in Manufacturing (13th ed.). Wiley.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Dongguan Changdong Tool & Die Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    With abundant experience, we are one of the most reliable progressive dies manufacturers and suppliers in China. Please feel free to buy advanced progressive dies made in China here from our factory. Good service and quality products are available.
    Address: No. 56-B, Fumin South Road, Dalang Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China
    E-mail: sales@stamping-die.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.metalstampingdie.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey there, Progressive Dies If you\u2019re knee-deep in stamping parts or just starting to figure out … What are the blanking processes in progressive dies?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":327,"featured_media":597,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[560],"class_list":["post-597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-progressive-dies-4d8b-8c2e4a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/327"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dream-horoscope.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}