Aluminum Stamping: follow up to a Forum Question

Recently on the SME Stamping and Dies forum  a post with request for information about the "Ins and outs" of stamping Major Body Panels in aluminum came up. Which stirred some fond (and not so fond) memories of this particular Self-Proclaimed-Die-Expert.

source: http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com

Here is a brain dump of some potential topics:

• Production handling (non-magnetic, surface damage, lubrication, mass {lack of}, segregation of scrap)
• forming (reduction from steel, friction and lube, wear {abrasive}, Springback, Surface Quality, thinning limits, engineering, die design)
• Trimming (slivers, burrs, surface damage, breakage, clearance, scrap drop, slug shedding)
• Engineering (material grades, designations, specification, mechanical properties, design for forming and manufacturability, Tooling coatings and substrates)
• Cost: sheet/coil, Scrap reclaim, new processes, etc

I guess covering the Ins-and-outs could become a full time job if one wanted to try. I at this time will not attempt it. Maybe some of the topics will make good discussions for the Stamping and Dies Technical Group of SME or the Metal Forming Simulation Tech Group.