# CNC Punching

https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/cnc-punching

CNC punching cuts holes and slots in sheet metal by driving a punch through the sheet into a die at programmed positions, and it can form knockouts and raised details. K-Display in Chicago punches equipment panels, chassis parts, and enclosure panels from customer drawings and models.

## Overview
Each stroke leaves one hole, slot, or formed detail at a programmed location, so a panel of identical vents, slots, and mounting holes comes from the same few punches. A knockout is a punched section held by small tabs so it can be removed later. Punched panels in carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, and galvanneal leave bare, or formed, powder coated, and fitted with hardware. Laser cutting follows any contour with no punch change, so an outline that would take many strokes on the punch comes off the laser in one pass.

## Materials
- Carbon steel
- Galvanized steel
- Galvanneal
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum

## Applications
- Equipment panels with a field of round vent holes
- Chassis parts with mounting holes and adjustment slots punched to the component pattern
- Cabinet panels with retained knockouts for cable and conduit entry
- Rack-mount enclosure bodies with ear holes, vents, and slide holes punched in the flat

## Process
- Position the sheet: The machine locates the sheet under the punch at the first programmed position, in the material and thickness the drawing names.
- Strike the openings: The punch drops through the sheet into the die at each location, and the cut-out slug falls clear through the die.
- Form the details: Tools that shape instead of cut form the knockouts and the raised or recessed details in the same sheet.
- Ship the punched panel: Panels leave flat and bare, or go on to forming, powder coating, hardware installation, and assembly.

## Design considerations
A knockout stays in the panel on small tabs of uncut metal, so a knockout drawn across a bend line or out to the panel edge loses a tab and drops out before the installer wants it. Draw each knockout with its full outline on the flat face, and we punch it to stay in place until it is knocked out. A bend pulls on the metal beside it, and a row of holes there stretches into ovals. End a punched field short of the flange, the bent-up edge of the panel, with a solid band, and we fold the bend through solid metal.

## FAQ
**When does CNC punching make sense?**
It can fit parts with repeated holes, slots, knockouts, or formed features when the material, thickness, tooling, quantity, and tolerance align with the process.

**How is punching different from laser cutting?**
Laser cutting and CNC punching solve different geometry and production problems. K-Display reviews the files, quantities, features, and downstream work before recommending a route.

**What should I send for a punched part?**
Send the current Revit, SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD/DWG, DXF, STEP, PDF, sketch, or other available design file, plus material, thickness, quantities, critical dimensions, formed features, finish, and assembly requirements when known.

## Related pages
- [Laser Cutting](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/laser-cutting)
- [Sheet Metal Forming & Bending](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/forming)
- [Hardware Installation](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/finishing/hardware-installation)
- [Custom Junction Boxes & Terminal Enclosures](https://kdisplay.com/products/electrical-enclosures/junction-terminal-enclosures)
- [Custom Mounting, Backing & Gland Plates](https://kdisplay.com/products/brackets-plates/mounting-backing-plates)
- [Custom Rack-Mount Enclosures](https://kdisplay.com/products/chassis-cabinets/rack-mount-enclosures)
- [Custom Control Panel Enclosures](https://kdisplay.com/products/electrical-enclosures/control-panel-enclosures)