Normal force is defined as the force that acts perpendicular (at a 90° angle) to the surface of a material. In metal forming operations, the normal force is important for shaping, compressing, or deforming the metal while avoiding defects due to sliding.

Key Features:

• Acts Perpendicular: The normal force always acts vertically against the surface of the material to provide stabilization when an operation such as pressing, stamping, or forging is performed.
• Controls Deformation: The amount of normal force applied will dictate how much the metal can be compressed or deformed, changing the thickness, strength, and overall shape during the metal forming process.
• Relationship to Friction: Normal force is directly related to the amount of friction that occurs between the tool and the surface of the metal during the metal forming process. This is important because it impacts the wear of the tools, the temperature of the process, and the finish of the surface.

Normal force is important to industrial metal forming due to its role in producing shaped metal without cracking or slipping. Many metal forming processes, including rolling, extrusion, and deep drawing, exploit controlled normal forces for the purpose of uniform deformation and accurate dimensions. Understanding the effect of normal force will improve the quality of metal products, tool performance, and efficiency. The importance of normal force will continue to be relevant as manufacturing technologies continue to advance and greater accuracy and performance are required of metal components.