Sheet metal can be used in a variety of ways whether its a sheet, formed, or has shapes cut out of it. For this blog post, we will discuss sheet metal punching. Sheet metal can have virtually any shape cut into it using a die tool and a turret punch machine. A turret punch machine has a “stamping” effect where a die tool comes down and hits the sheet metal, knocking out the shape within the metal. The portion of the metal that is punched out is called a “slug.” Not only can shapes be punched out of sheet metal, but different types of bent shapes can also be accomplished. For example, a turret punch can be used to create bridge lances, embosses (dimples), half shears, and countersinks.