Abstract A new blanking process that involves punch
speed up to 10 ms−1 has obvious advantages in increased
productivity. However, the inherent dynamics of such a process
makes it difficult to develop a practical high speed
punch press. The fracture phenomenon governing the blanking
process has to be well understood to correctly design
the machine support and the tooling. To observe this phenomenon
at various controlled blanking speeds a specific
experimental device has been developed. The goal is to
measure accurately the shear blanking forces imposed on
the specimen during blanking. In this paper a new method
allowing the blanking forces to be measured and taking
into account the proposed test configuration is explained.
This technique has been used to determine the blanking
forces experienced when forming C40 steel and quantifies
the effect of process parameters such as punch die clearance,
punch speed, and sheet metal thickness on the blanking
force evolution.