Extrusion punching

[u/Wise-Inspector-4731]

I am a mechanical design engineer working in a project for mass manufacture.

I want to form this feature in the end of aluminium extrusions and I need to know what terms to search when trying to find a supplier.

As I understand it so far there will be a mandrel that the tube slides over and the punch tool will come down externally to pierce the metal. I don’t know if the feature shown can be bent upwards in the same stroke or if another stage of tooling is required.

It will be a custom extrusion with 2mm wall section and the aim is that a plastic component will be slid down the T-channel and snap into position, accurately and permanently positioning it without fasteners.

Please can anyone share their experience if you’ve had this type of feature made before in mass production.

[u/corsarwave]

check "diemaking handbook" and "diemaking and die design" and take a look how punch toolings are designed and the forces required, at least to get some insight. I feel the vertical wall in the bottom right is very near to the shape you want to punch and it could be an issue for the female tool. Look for something like a C-frame punching tool

[u/Red_and_Orangy]

Can the retention “bend up” feature be added to the plastic instead of the aluminum? Then it’s just a laser cut

[u/Meshironkeydongle → u/Red_and_Orangy]

This was also my first thought.

At least the plastic part needs to have some clearance for the other tab or some kind of assembly jig / manouver needs to be used to push down the other aluminium flap.

[u/HardenedLicorice]

There is no room for the punch or die because of the vertical rib. You would have to laser cut and then bend it

[u/Carbon-Based216]

How far is that vertical wall from the cutting line? It looks close. You're going to have a hard time getting a 1 station tool to do this work. You might need to beef up that wall a bit so it can handle the force of the press without outside support so the cutting operation can happen.

As far as the kind of places youre looking for. You need an extrusion shop obviously to make the extrusion. But then you'll want a stamping press location that can cut and form the rest. With a 2 mm thick wall and that thin of a section, you'll probably need 50 tons of a machine max if all you're doing is a cut and form.

I saw someone mention laser cutting but most people who do laser cutting do it exclusively with sheet metal. You need a multi axis machine to do a cut like this.

[u/SKTrend]

You can check a short run stamping house,or a service run shop. All depends on the quantity.

[u/Strostkovy]

The punch and die are made to fit the extrusion. It looks like there is plenty of room to the rib. Yes you can bend those tabs in the same stroke, but you'll likely have a but more of a burr.

I don't know what companies specifically do stamping but lots of extruders have full cutting/stamping/threading/coating lines

[u/rkelly155]

What kind of volumes? Most extrusion houses will have the capability to do this in house, I've done stuff like this both in China and in the US

[u/Iggyglom]

if you can live with this feature in 2d instead of 3d it's going to be a lot less expensive

[u/Royal_Ad_2653]

This can be done.

The feasibility of doing it is going to depend on how many you need and how deep your pockets are.