Slug pulling and retention for metal stamping dies

 

The slug retention method works both in round holes and in shaped die cavities. The slug retention alteration is guaranteed only when clearance does not exceed 10% per side.

 

• We can perform slug retention locally in the Lower Mainland area of British Columbia as an on-site service (the tool may be left in the press in some cases) if the tool and its matrix (die buttons) are accessible.
   

• Existing die buttons, die plates or stamping tools may be sent to Vortool Manufacturing for alteration than ship it back to you.
   

• Vortool Manufacturing can design and make your tools with special die buttons and ejector punches to guarantee that slug pulling will never happen again.

 

Slug retention is a proven method to prevent slug pulling. In a metal stamping process in some cases, the slugs may pull back to the die surface during punch withdrawal. Often they trap underneath the strip or coil. If this happens, unwanted marks may be imprinted on parts.

 

The pulled slugs may cause a jam, preventing strip advance. It could also cause a double hit that may damage the tooling components or the press, resulting in lengthy downtime while the tool is out for being serviced and therefore is out from production. 

 

Slug control is achieved by the addition of a number of special grooves ground into the die button or into any die cavity's wall. These grooves are engineered to trap the slugs in the die until they fall through the slug relief. 

 

In some cases, the slug retention could be performed while the tool is still fully assembled or even in the press with adequate open height or access. The onsite service could be invaluable to save time and get the tool back in production sooner. 

 

You may order custom made die plates and or complete stamping tools with slug retention.

 

Slug control guarantees the same result through the life of the die button or about a total of 0.200 die life removed from sharpening.