Sheet-metal operations — terminology for cutting a cylindrical hole In pressworking, what is the correct name of the operation in which a punch and die cut a cylindrical hole through the sheet, producing a discarded slug and a usable holed sheet?

Introduction / Context:
Accurate terminology in press operations prevents tooling and inspection errors. Several closely related operations exist: punching, blanking, piercing, lancing, and notching. The names depend on which part is the intended product and whether material is removed or displaced.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Goal is a through-hole in the sheet.
• The slug is waste; the holed sheet is the product.
• Standard straight punch and die clearance is employed.

Concept / Approach:
When a hole is created and the removed slug is scrap, the process is called punching. In blanking, the removed piece (blank) is the product and the remaining sheet is scrap. Piercing is often used for small holes or specialized shapes and sometimes ambiguously, but in classical definitions, punching remains the correct term when the holed sheet is kept.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Manufacturing handbooks define punching as removing scrap to create holes, with die clearance and burr direction considerations.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Shearing: general cutting along a straight line.
• Piercing: sometimes used for small holes, but punching is the accepted term here.
• Blanking: the cut-out is the product, not the sheet.
• Lancing: cut without complete removal, producing a tab.

Common Pitfalls:
Using piercing and punching interchangeably; ignoring punch–die clearance which affects hole quality and burr.

Final Answer: