A method and apparatus for blanking wide sheet materials into a plurality of pieces of predetermined shapes are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a blanking die press and first and second carriages movable in a predetermined, numerically controlled and programmable sequence along Y and X axes, respectively, relative to the blanking die press. The blanking die includes upper and lower die holders which are adapted to be automatically rotated approximately 180° to reverse the die orientation and thereby more economically blank the sheet material with a minimum of wastage.
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