Stamping (also known as pressing) is the process of placing flat sheet metal in either blank or coil form into a stamping press where a tool and die surface forms the metal into a net shape.  Stamping includes a variety of sheet-metal forming manufacturing processes: 

This could be a single stage operation where every stroke of the press produces the desired form on the sheet metal part, or could occur through a series of stages.  Progressive dies are commonly fed from a coil of steel, coil reel for unwinding of coil to a straightener to level the coil and then into a feeder, which advances the material into the press and die at a predetermined feed length.