The structure of a metal stamping machine is known as a press. These are powerful pieces of equipment, powered by hydraulics or motors. They come in a variety of sizes, from benchtop versions to large industrial sized versions that take up half a room. The motionless press bed is where the metal being manufactured rests, often held still by a clamp of some sort. A ram, shaped like a long arm, is attached to the power source of the press and moves up and down. The end that makes contact with the metal, be it for brass stamping or another metallic element, has the die attached to make the cuts.
Dies come in a variety of shapes and are often customized to mass produce specific dimensions again and again. They are stabilized on the metallic material by means of the press and then the ram forces the cut by way of a punch. The number of dies utilized at once depends on the machine and its complexity; sometimes only one die is in motion and other times five or more can be punching out pieces from a single piece of sheet metal. Most of the varying elements in metal stamping occur according to the preferences of the company that own the presses, or are due to the demands of the final product.
