Which process uses a punch and a die to press metals into shape?

• A. Machine forging
• B. Press forming
• C. Casting
• D. Rolling

Answer: (B)

Press forming is the process where a punch and die work together in a press to shape metal by plastic deformation. A sheet or billet is placed between the punch (the male tool) and the die (the female cavity); as the press moves, the punch pushes into the material, forcing it to take the cavity’s shape. This method hard-shapes metal without melting it, enabling precise outlines, bends, or draws typical of stamping, punching, and forming operations. Casting, by contrast, melts metal and pours it into a mold, while rolling shapes metal by passing it between rollers to change thickness or cross-section. Machine forging also uses dies and compressive forces but is generally associated with forming billets rather than sheet metal through a punch-and-die cavity in a press.