GunLab (KnownHost) » stamping dies

Building the semi auto MP-44 part 4

Chuck — Tue, 03 May 2016 08:00:19 +0000

This post deals with just one of the small stampings that goes into making a MP-44. he part being make for this post is the sheet metal reinforcement for the back of the magazine well. This simple part closes the rear of the magazine well, strengthens the rear of the magazine well, addes extra support for the magazine catch area and provides a guide for the magazine.

This is what the part looked like after being removed from a torch cut receiver. There is not much there that is useful, however with a little work a new part can be made.

The first step is to measure out the part and then design a female stamping die that will meet the contours of the part.

Once verified it is time to move onto the next part

In this case the next part is the male die. As this process is being accomplished a number of stampings are done.Generally nothing happens correctly the first time.

Now the die is added to. The complexity of the die either requires a cnc machine to make it or a fabricated die has to be made. Due to the lack of cnc yhe die was pieced together to form the required shape.

After the stamping dies are completed then it is time to work out through trial and error the proper shape of the blank.

Not comes the moment of truth. If everything works properly then a good part will be made.

It took a great deal of work to design and make the press tools that were necessary to make just one simple part.

Building an MP-44 semi part 2

Chuck — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 08:00:35 +0000

This is the second in a series of post of Pete, a friend of gun lab, building his semi-auto MP-44. From our previous post you could see the absolutely dismal condition of the cut up receiver pieces that Pete had to work with.

You can see from these pictures that there was no back section. So the only answer for Pete was to design the tooling and make a new rear section. This is that post.

In this photo you can see the style of the female die with the cuts for the ribs to be pressed in.

As with all stamping work to obtain the best possible product you must have a flat that is the same and you must have a method of properly locating that flat.

This male stamping die is much more complicated to make then most people think. All this tooling was made on a manual vertical mill.

With any press tool you have to have guide and alignment pins to obtain a quality product.

Pete does all his pressing on a simple shop press.

To fabricate the rear pieces it take multiply set up’s.

Some real nice tooling to make his rear section.

This is not a simple process to make the rear sections.

You can see for this final photo the quality of work that Pete produces.

If anyone is interested in a replacement section drop me a comment and I will forward it to Pete. He has a few of these left.

Pressing the rear cap for the VG1-5 rear housing

Chuck — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 08:00:18 +0000

This post deals with pressing the cap for the upper housing. We start with a laser cut blank that has been de-bured.

And using the pressing tool.

We end up making the cup that going into the rear upper housing to be welded in.

This is the video of that process.

AR-180b upper receiver

Chuck — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 08:00:41 +0000

Here At Gun Lab we actually have a number of projects going on. While we are waiting for our heat treating to come back for the VG1-5 and AR-180b parts we started on the AR-180B upper receiver. This receiver is design to fit on the Nodak-Spud lower as well as the AR-180B lower and the original AR-180.

The project was started July 20th when a friend sent me a original flat for the AR-180. That evening I sat down and started the solid model drawing for the upper receiver. It was not a priority project here and was put on the back burner until the projects on the mill were completed. However, by July 30th I had completed the solid model and had completed the first set of basic modelling for the stamping die.

This first picture is of an original AR-18 flat that has had ribs pressed in.

This picture shows what it would look like after the next stamping. The basic shape is cut out.

The next step that was performed was to bend the bottom tabs.

The next step was then to punch out the ejector port and cocking handle opening.

With the advent of technology we have made a few changes to the process in which this part will be made.

In looking at an original AR-180b upper you can see a few of the manufacturing changes. Looking at these pictures and at the actual part you can see that a laser cutter was used versus stamping them out. The cost difference is huge.

What we have done is drawn up the receiver then changed it into a flat design then had that laser cut out of the proper material and thickness of sheet metal

Next we started working on the stamping design.

Once the basic design is completed we start working on each component of the design and changing the parts and assembly as we go along. Finally we come up with a working model.

Then every part and component is accurately located and attached.

Down to the pins and screws.

Once this is done we start making each of the individual pieces. Starting with the basic stock.

To the final products.

The next step and post will be the assembly then off to testing.

This is were we stand now on 8-17 and starting from 7-20. Less then 30 days from concept through design and modeling to programming and machining.

Not bad.

Weekend update and the fun of machining

Chuck — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 08:00:23 +0000

Nothing really exciting to report. I spent the weekend machining large pieces of metal into smaller pieces. We have shipped the test MP-44 trunnions to Pete and while we are waiting for his report back we are filling our time working on making stamping dies. In this case all the pieces are sized and we have started machining the the individual pieces for the AR-180 upper receiver stamping dies. A quick look at the solid model of the stamping dies

This is what it looks like in the making phase. Here are a few pictures of the top and bottom plates being sized up on the Allan Bradley cnc mill. A great deal of the die steel is not heat treated and just basic run of the mill scrap steel. These sections came from torch cut trash steel from different job sites. You can see the type of edge it has and need to be cleaned up and sized.

A close up of the edge. This will take a great deal of work to clean up and make useable.

So Saturday and Sunday I got to do this. A basic program was written to reduce and clean up the edges 0.030″ at a time until they were clean up.

The two bigger pieces were machined. The top and other edges will be cleaned up on the HAAS machining center.

All three of the pieces ready to continue on to the next phase.

The actual heat treated press areas are also machined to size and we have started on the forming portion of the dies.

Making the VG1-5 cocking handle

Chuck — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 13:01:36 +0000

Sunday was spent bending all the cocking handles for the VG1-5 project. These are the steps necessary to accomplish that task.

step 1

Step 2

step 3

step 4

The complete process.

This is the video taken to accomplish this part.

Gun Lab update

Chuck — Wed, 13 May 2015 08:00:50 +0000

Not a big post for today, just an update on the projects we are working on.

First and most important is the VG1-5 project. I received a call this afternoon late that the firing pins can be picked up from the heat treating firm. With this last piece we can send the second rifle to the ATFE for final testing. The second item on the VG project is that all the receiver flats are in the spot welding room and as soon as we modify the spot welders they will be on the line to finish. That will be this week.

The drawings for the MP-44 trunnions are solid modeled and material is ordered so we can finish that project.

The Japanese type 96 and 99 magazines have taken a step back. The first two stamping dies did not work as planed and we needed to send the magazines back. They are still on the drawing board as I need them for my own guns.

The AR-16 is still being solid modeled. We are getting closer but still more time is needed to finish this project. I only work on it when I have spare time and we know how that goes.

A member of our family here at Gun Lab located me an isolation transformer and with that I hope to get the wire edm powered up.

We have been doing a reverse engineering project on a German WW2 machine gun which is coming along nicely and I hope to have drawings in the near future and a solid model shortly after that. This project has been a real ball buster, but with the use of the schools cmm we are getting close now.

I am currently work on a few write ups for the site. Part 2 of the Winchester self loaders should be dome this week, a friend , O.H., is sending me some interesting photo’s and scan’s on a few weapons to post and the third installment on the Bushmaster pistol is in final editing.

This should answer all the questions that have shown up in my in basket. If there are any other question please feel free to drop me a line.

I do need help with a project though. I need manuals for the wire EDM. I am concerned that the batteries have died in the controller and I am going to have to reset the parameters. This machine came with no manuals at all. Here are a few pictures of the panels and model numbers.

Xerox copies are fine. I just need to learn about the parameters and set up of this machine. Thanks everyone for helping.

With nothing else going on I am going to hit the rack, tomorrow is another fun filled day for me.

Magazine manufacturing

Chuck — Tue, 05 May 2015 08:00:20 +0000

In this post we are going to look at making a magazine. In this case a 22lr pistol magazine. This magazine was stamped out on a progressive stamping die. In a machine that would look like this.

Not for the home shop.

So lets take a look at the steps that would be required to make a magazine. Starting from a role of steel metal to the final product. The sheet steel is removed from its coil and fed into the stamping machine. The process start with the initial cut and a pilot hole or holes that serves as a locator hole for following steps in the process.

This is the stamping strip from start to finish. So lets take a closer look at the individual steps.

First step. Initial cut of the magazine and two pilot hole for locating the sheet metal for the next step.

Second step. In this step you can see that the second hole is removed as the top of the magazine is finished cut.

Third step. This starts the initial bends

Fourth step. Now we are in the pressing of the ribs of the magazine.

Fifth step. Another bend step.

Sixth step. This is a bend step for the bottom of the magazine

Seventh step. Here you can see that the slot has been punched in for the follower button.

Eight step. The folding over of the magazine

Ninth step

Tenth step. The magazine stamping is separated from the strip and being set up for welding

Eleventh step. At this point the magazine is machined welded.

Twelfth step. The tab are now cut off and for all practical purposes the magazine body is complete

All that is required after this to verify fit and do your quality control inspection

Weekend Update 1-25-15

Chuck — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 08:00:30 +0000

It is 6 P.M. on Sunday and I am done. Most of this weekend has been spent on the VG1-5 project. I finished all the small screws ,200, with the final op. Next will be Parkerizing.

The medium and larger screws are over 1/2 way completed.

All the fire control stamping ,110 of them, have gone through first op.

I pressed all the stock supports, right and left. 110 of each.

I did a little work around the wood shop. The first thing was to complete the electric to the dust collector. I also finished the conduit and buried it on the back side of the shop.

I ordered some clamp racks and when they got here they would not work as the slot was to small. So, I machined a larger slot in them.

My wife finished the ammunition separation and now has everything put away.

That is it for the weekend. Tomorrow is a new and exciting week.

VG1-5 magazine release button.

Chuck — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 08:00:03 +0000

In this post we are going to show you how the magazine release button is made. We start with a laser cut washer.

Okay over 100 laser cut washers.

Then run them through the pressing tool that forms them to the shape we need.

After this step they look like this.

One hundred later and this is what it looks like.

Here is a video of the process.

Once they are formed then they are riveted to the threaded button. This is the picture of the button.

A pile of buttons.

A quick look at the riveting tool.What the riveted part looks like.

After this they go to welding and then to finishing.