With the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics metal stamping well underway, newsrooms around the globe follow a rising medals count. The elite athletes participating in the games and their eager nations watching from afar hope for the fulfillment of the ultimate Olympic dream, standing atop the podium as a gold, silver or bronze medal is draped around their neck.
For many of the more than 5,500 Olympians representing more than 80 nations, receiving a medal will remain a dream, an ambition for future feats of athleticism perhaps. For a select 615 individuals, however, that dream will become a realization. 615 is the exact number of medallions created at The Royal Canadian Mint for the XXI Olympic Winter Games. Each of these was produced through unique metal stamping processes creating one of a kind medals for each athlete's one of a kind moment.
Photo courtesy of Micro Forms, Inc.
The International Olympic Committee imposes strict regulations on the creation of Olympic medals. The size, weight, composition and inscription of each gold, silver or bronze piece must meet the highest of standards. The 30-step process resulting in medals of such caliber begins with sheet metal stamping, the same process used to mint coins. Using pre-formed sheets, which may be inspected in advance, ensures that each piece adheres to predetermined parameters.
Sheets of pure silver are used to create both the silver and gold medals, the latter of which is later plated with at least 6grams of gold. The Bronze medals are stamped from sheets of alloyed copper. The 6mm thick metal of either composition is fed through a machine which stamps out blanks, or medallions lacking inscription. The blanks for each medal must be 100mm in diameter. Precision metal stamping is then used to impress the lettering and imagery onto each medal.
Photo courtesy of American Industrial Company.
The specific design and inscription of an Olympic medal varies each year. Several committees must agree upon a design and production scheme for the medals before shortrun stamping begins. Shortrun stamping allows for the creation of a limited number of medals in a narrow period of time. For most Olympics, this is the final step in creating the finished and inscribed medals. The Vancouver design committee, however, has added a hand stamping process. Each piece is struck by hand a total of nine times to create an undulating wave in the medallion. This is meant to symbolize the ocean waves, snow drifts and mountains of the host country. In striking the metals by hand, designers and artists create personalized the medals.
Gold medal from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
The final product of the metal stamping process is a unique memento and sign of achievement for the receiving athlete. While the recipient of an Olympic medal might know little of the manufacturing technique behind its creation, each is no doubt keenly aware of the importance of that process. The Olympic medal is more than just a slab of stamped metal. It embodies the aspirations of all competitive athletes. It is a specially designed, carefully crafted and beautifully orchestrated work of art.
Magnesium is the lightest structural material offering very good damping characteristics, weldability and excellent shielding against electro-magnetic interferance, and is unlimited in supply. It has been an excellent material for making portable electronic and telecommunication devices, and automotive and aerospace equipment such as MD player casings, chassis for cell phones, video cameras and notebook computers, automotive gear housings, car wheels and engine blocks.
The most common methods to produce magnesium parts are die casting and thixomolding processes. However, these runner and gating processes provide a low material yield of only 30% for thin-wall casting and can only produce thin walls of between 0.7mm to 1.2mm.
If we can form magnesium parts from sheet metal just like metal stamping of steel and aluminum parts, we can achieve better material yield of about 80% and possibly safer operation due to the lower processing temperature. However, magnesium is known to be non-formable as it is very resistant to deformation due to its hexagonal close-packed structure. The only way is warm forming of magnesium as deformation of magnesium above 225 degrees Celsius will cause additional slip planes to become operative.
Extensive process research in this area have resulted in a few warm forming hydraulic presses available in the market for draw forming. Recently, research in warm draw forming of magnesium to make cell phone chassis has successfully shown that 0.4mm thin walls can be achieved consistently. Metallographic tests of the chassis have also demonstrated that there is zero porosity and increased rigidity.
While the current warm forming press systems are complicated to operate as they require the preliminary building of stroke and force profiles for the specific products using data acquisition modules and forming simulation softwares, the increased replacement of aluminum and plastics with magnesium for handheld electronic devices may well accelerate this process. Progressive early adopters of this technology would have a first mover advantage in the competitive global manufacturing industry.
Author Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering Pte Ltd in Singapore and represents metal stamping, precision machining, miniature precision balls and PCB manufacturers from Suwa, also called "The Oriental Switzerland" in Japan due to its Swiss resemblance for rich watch-making industry, its mountainous terrain and its precision component making industry. He is also a director of Attisse Pte Ltd, a business consultancy and research consultancy firm for Japanese investors, and SV Tech Pte Ltd which is engaged in sourcing of PCB, IC chips and semiconductor related products from China.
For many of the more than 5,500 Olympians representing more than 80 nations, receiving a medal will remain a dream, an ambition for future feats of athleticism perhaps. For a select 615 individuals, however, that dream will become a realization. 615 is the exact number of medallions created at The Royal Canadian Mint for the XXI Olympic Winter Games. Each of these was produced through unique metal stamping processes creating one of a kind medals for each athlete's one of a kind moment.
Photo courtesy of Micro Forms, Inc.
The International Olympic Committee imposes strict regulations on the creation of Olympic medals. The size, weight, composition and inscription of each gold, silver or bronze piece must meet the highest of standards. The 30-step process resulting in medals of such caliber begins with sheet metal stamping, the same process used to mint coins. Using pre-formed sheets, which may be inspected in advance, ensures that each piece adheres to predetermined parameters.
Sheets of pure silver are used to create both the silver and gold medals, the latter of which is later plated with at least 6grams of gold. The Bronze medals are stamped from sheets of alloyed copper. The 6mm thick metal of either composition is fed through a machine which stamps out blanks, or medallions lacking inscription. The blanks for each medal must be 100mm in diameter. Precision metal stamping is then used to impress the lettering and imagery onto each medal.
Photo courtesy of American Industrial Company.
The specific design and inscription of an Olympic medal varies each year. Several committees must agree upon a design and production scheme for the medals before shortrun stamping begins. Shortrun stamping allows for the creation of a limited number of medals in a narrow period of time. For most Olympics, this is the final step in creating the finished and inscribed medals. The Vancouver design committee, however, has added a hand stamping process. Each piece is struck by hand a total of nine times to create an undulating wave in the medallion. This is meant to symbolize the ocean waves, snow drifts and mountains of the host country. In striking the metals by hand, designers and artists create personalized the medals.
Gold medal from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
The final product of the metal stamping process is a unique memento and sign of achievement for the receiving athlete. While the recipient of an Olympic medal might know little of the manufacturing technique behind its creation, each is no doubt keenly aware of the importance of that process. The Olympic medal is more than just a slab of stamped metal. It embodies the aspirations of all competitive athletes. It is a specially designed, carefully crafted and beautifully orchestrated work of art.
Magnesium is the lightest structural material offering very good damping characteristics, weldability and excellent shielding against electro-magnetic interferance, and is unlimited in supply. It has been an excellent material for making portable electronic and telecommunication devices, and automotive and aerospace equipment such as MD player casings, chassis for cell phones, video cameras and notebook computers, automotive gear housings, car wheels and engine blocks.
The most common methods to produce magnesium parts are die casting and thixomolding processes. However, these runner and gating processes provide a low material yield of only 30% for thin-wall casting and can only produce thin walls of between 0.7mm to 1.2mm.
If we can form magnesium parts from sheet metal just like metal stamping of steel and aluminum parts, we can achieve better material yield of about 80% and possibly safer operation due to the lower processing temperature. However, magnesium is known to be non-formable as it is very resistant to deformation due to its hexagonal close-packed structure. The only way is warm forming of magnesium as deformation of magnesium above 225 degrees Celsius will cause additional slip planes to become operative.
Extensive process research in this area have resulted in a few warm forming hydraulic presses available in the market for draw forming. Recently, research in warm draw forming of magnesium to make cell phone chassis has successfully shown that 0.4mm thin walls can be achieved consistently. Metallographic tests of the chassis have also demonstrated that there is zero porosity and increased rigidity.
While the current warm forming press systems are complicated to operate as they require the preliminary building of stroke and force profiles for the specific products using data acquisition modules and forming simulation softwares, the increased replacement of aluminum and plastics with magnesium for handheld electronic devices may well accelerate this process. Progressive early adopters of this technology would have a first mover advantage in the competitive global manufacturing industry.
Author Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering Pte Ltd in Singapore and represents metal stamping, precision machining, miniature precision balls and PCB manufacturers from Suwa, also called "The Oriental Switzerland" in Japan due to its Swiss resemblance for rich watch-making industry, its mountainous terrain and its precision component making industry. He is also a director of Attisse Pte Ltd, a business consultancy and research consultancy firm for Japanese investors, and SV Tech Pte Ltd which is engaged in sourcing of PCB, IC chips and semiconductor related products from China.
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