Calculate press force for punching from material, sheet thickness and cut perimeter using typical shear strengths, or add known cutting and stripping forces.

Filled in from the material (typical value). Enter your own if you know it.

Assumed 12%; enter the allowance for your tooling.

Optional settings

Press Force Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Press Force.

PF = CF + SF
  • Where PF is the press force
  • CF is the cutting force
  • SF is the stripping force
    • A 10–20% stripping allowance is a rough estimate; actual stripping force depends on the material and tooling.

To calculate the press force, add the cutting force and stripping force together.

The cutting force can further be broken down into the following equation:

CF = L × S × T
  • Where L is the length to be cut
  • S is the sheet thickness
  • T is the shear strength of the material

What is a Press Force?

Definition:

In this simplified estimate, press force is the sum of cutting and stripping forces. Actual press selection also requires the machine rating, stroke, tooling loads and an appropriate design margin.

How to Calculate Press Force?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Press Force.

First, determine the cutting force. From the length, thickness, and shear strength, the cutting force in this example is calculated to be 100 N.

Next, determine the stripping force. Using the general rule of thumb of 15%, the stripping force is found to be 15 N.

Finally, calculate the press force using the formula above:

PF = CF + SF

PF = 100+15

PF =115 N