What is the Difference Between Blanking and Punching

The main difference between blanking and punching is that in blanking, the final product is removed out of the larger metal sheet, and the remaining material is discarded as scrap, whereas in punching, the material removed out is discarded, and the final product is the remaining material.

Blanking and punching are two metal production methods. Moreover, they are effective ways to cut holes in a workpiece. In fact, we can describe them as two sides of the same process.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Blanking 
      – Definition, Features
2. What is Punching
      – Definition, Features
3. Difference Between Blanking and Punching
      – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Blanking, Punching

What is Blanking

Blanking is a metal fabrication process where the final product is removed out of the larger metal sheet, and the remaining material is discarded as scrap. In other words, the material that is punched out of the larger sheet is the blank or new metal workpiece. To understand this process more easily, think of a paper punch; you punch a piece of paper and then keep the punched-out piece while throwing away the larger piece of paper. This is exactly what happens in blanking. You keep the punched-out metal and discard the large metal sheet. When you remove a maximum amount of material from the metal sheet, blanking is more efficient.

Blanking forces a metal punch into a die that shears the part from the larger primary metal sheet. A die-cut edge generally has four attributes: burnish, burr, fracture, roll-over. Therefore, blanking can produce burnished and sheared sections on the cut edge and produce burred edges. It can also control the quality of production by punch and die clearance. In addition, the blanking process is able to produce holes of different shapes quickly.

What is Punching

Punching is a metalworking process that involves creating holes in a metal workpiece. Unlike in blanking, in punching, the final product is the larger metal from which parts are punched out removed. If we look at the example of punching paper, metal punching is similar to keeping the sheet of paper and throwing away the punched-out pieces.

Moreover, punching can be done by hand or using tools. Today, punching usually happens via machines. It’s a very effective and simple way to make holes in metal. In punching, the metal piece is first aligned between the punching tool and the die. Once they are properly aligned, you have to drive down the punching tool into the metal; this removes a piece of metal from the sheet in the same shape as the die. Punching always creates holes in the same shape as the die. For example, if you use a circular die, the metal will have a circular hole; if you use a triangular die, the metal will have a triangular hole. Furthermore, if you recycle or reuse the punched-out metal parts in further metalwork, it can result in cost savings.

Difference Between Blanking and Punching

Definition

Blanking is a metal fabrication process where the final product is removed out of the larger metal sheet, and the remaining material is discarded as scrap, whereas punching is a metalworking process that involves creating holes in a metal workpiece.

Operation

Moreover, in blanking, the final product is removed out of the larger metal sheet, and the remaining material is discarded as scrap. On the other hand, in punching, the material removed (punched out) is discarded, and the final product is the remaining material.

Conclusion

In brief, banking and punching are two metal production methods. The main difference between blanking and punching is that in blanking, the final product is removed out of the larger metal sheet, and the remaining material is discarded as scrap, whereas in punching, the material removed out is discarded, and the final product is the remaining material.

Reference:

1. “Metal Blanking Process.” Advantage Fabricated Metals.
2. “What Is Punching in the Manufacturing Industry?” Monroe Engineering, 20 Mar. 2019.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Holes-sheet-grid-template-metal-570739” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Blanking vs piercing” By Wizard191 – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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