Press-cutting mechanisms
Sheet-based punching machines

As we have just described, press cutting follows a different mechanism from that of other cutting processes. It is neither a thermal nor an abrasive process, but a purely mechanical one, carried out without the use of heat (although studies are currently underway for the hot cutting of high-strength sheet metal) and involving a shearing mechanism. This shearing is caused by the action of two cutting blades, one of which acts in opposition to the movement of the other, with the space between the cutting edges (clearance) determining the intensity of the shearing stresses (figure 8 ).