When you first open a stamping die drawing, the process layout (排样) is where everything starts. It determines material utilization, strip width, and the number of stations. A poorly arranged layout will haunt you through every downstream operation — pilot holes won't align, scrap will jam, and die maintenance intervals will shrink. In practice, I always check the layout against the strip thickness and material grade before signing off on the die structure. For a typical progressive die running 1.2mm SPCC, a 0.8–1.2mm bridge width between parts is a safe starting point; go thinner and you risk tearing during stripping.

The plate system — upper and lower die shoes, punch plates, stripper plates, and backing plates — carries the real load. Guide pins and bushings (typically 20–32mm diameter for medium dies) keep alignment within 0.01–0.02mm. Positioning components like pilot pins and gauge blocks must be hardened to HRC 58–62; soft pilots wear oval in a week. The stripper and ejector system deserves equal attention: spring pressure should be 15–20% of the total cutting force. If you undersize springs, the stripper won't release the strip cleanly, and you'll get part distortion or slug pulling. I've seen dies fail on the floor simply because someone swapped a 25mm spring for a 20mm one to save space.

Assembly is not just bolting plates together. Torque sequence matters — work from the center outward on the die shoe to avoid warping. Check shut height with feeler gauges before the first stroke, and verify guide pin clearance with a dial indicator. A die that looks perfect on the bench can still produce burrs if the punch-to-die clearance is off by 0.02mm per side. For more mold sourcing and die component references, visit MoldWorld at www.moldw.com.