Free Engineering Tool #209
Press Force Calculator
Calculate required press force for blanking and punching. Enter cut perimeter, material thickness, and shear strength.
Results
Blanking / Punching Force
- F — required force (N)
- L — cut perimeter (mm)
- t — material thickness (mm)
- τ — shear strength (MPa = N/mm²)
Shear Strength Reference
| Material | UTS (MPa) | Shear τ (MPa) |
|---|---|---|
| Mild Steel | 370–450 | 250–320 |
| Stainless 304 | 515–750 | 350–500 |
| Aluminium 6061 | 240–310 | 150–200 |
| Copper | 210–370 | 140–250 |
| Brass | 310–450 | 200–300 |
L = π × 50 = 157.08 mm
F = 157.08 × 2 × 300 = 94,248 N = 94.2 kN ≈ 9.6 tonnes
Press force F = L × t × τ, where L is the cut perimeter in mm, t is material thickness in mm, and τ is shear strength in MPa.
Shear strength is typically 60–80% of ultimate tensile strength. For mild steel (UTS ~400 MPa), shear strength is approximately 250–320 MPa.
Die clearance doesn't change the force formula but affects edge quality. Typical clearance is 5–10% of material thickness per side.
A 20–30% safety factor above calculated force is recommended. Also consider stripping force (5–10% of cutting force).
Yes. A shear angle on the punch or die spreads the cut, reducing peak force by 30–50%. A 1–2× thickness shear angle is common.
The procedures described on this page were developed and field-tested by the Vibromera team using the Balanset-1A, a portable dual-channel balancer and vibration analyzer for on-site rotor balancing.
Professional instruments for industrial applications.
Nikolai Shelkovenko
Nikolai Shelkovenko is a vibration analysis engineer and the founder and CEO of Vibromera. For more than 15 years he has balanced rotating equipment in the field rather than on a test bench: mulchers, industrial fans, crushers, centrifuges, shafts and spindles. That work is what the Balanset instruments grew out of — they were designed as a tool a specialist can carry to the machine and use alone, on site, not as laboratory equipment. Vibromera was founded in 2017 and has been based in Porto, Portugal, since 2023. Development, assembly and support of the Balanset line all happen here. The flagship instrument is the Balanset-1A, a portable analyser for single- and two-plane balancing and for vibration diagnostics. Nikolai is personally involved in customer support, in working through difficult balancing cases and in the development of the software. He works with customers worldwide, in any language.
