Blechexpo 2019

•••9••• Innovationen Stamping into metal sheet for lighter cars Japanese scientists come up with a simulation process that reduces bending and twisting springback R esearchers led by Kanazawa University (Japan) simulate the industrial process of stamping features into metal sheets with- out causing the sheets to tear, twist, or bend to aid fabrication of tools to create metal parts for products such as cars. The process of stamping metal sheets to create parts used in automotive products such as car doors has received a vir- tual upgrade in the form of a simulation method devised by Kanazawa University-based re- searchers. Their simulation can be used to optimize a metal stamping press in its concep- tual design stage, thus reducing the costs of physically trialing designs. This method is not on- ly cost-effective, but also more comprehensive than past simu- lation methods. To improve fuel consumption, automotive manufacturers have increasingly been looking to fab- ricate cars using lighter materi- als than traditional steel. High- strength steel is considered a lightweight alternative, but when sheets of high-strength steel are stamped into shape to fabricate car parts, they are more likely to bend, tear, wrin- kle, or become too thin in places compared with parts made of traditional steel. In a competitive automotive mar- ket, it is more important than ever to carry out simulations in advance to optimize tools before building and testing them. Oth- erwise, the tools may need to be altered over a lengthy and cost- ly period of trial-and-error until they can successfully fabricate high-quality parts. Many compo- nents of the tool have an effect on the final product and could therefore be opti- mized via simulations; howeve r, cu r r en t simulations are not comprehensive and rarely consider the shape of the stamp- ing stencil (termed the “blank shape”) that the metal sheet is punched through to form the desired shape. Additionally, much research in this area focus- es on stamping simple bar- or U- shapes. The researchers simulated the stamping of S-shapes and came up with a novel way of reduc- ing the twisting of metal sheets by optimizing the shape of the blank shape while also minimiz- ing tearing and wrinkling of the metal sheet. They also simulated how much force to use to clamp the metal sheet in place in the so- called “blank holder” and how it should be varied during the punching process to achieve the best results. Reducing the propensity of high- strength steel parts to twist and bend out of shape after under- going stamping is a key concern within the car manufacturing in- dustry. The results of this study are therefore anticipated to sig- nificantly increase the quality of stamped metal parts. Forming process using optimal blank shape Photo: Kanazawa University IMS – World Market Leader in Measuring Systems Hochpräzise Online-Messsysteme für jede Ihrer Messgrößen Weg von der stichprobenartigen Qualitätskontrolle, hin zur 100%igen Prüfung. In Ihren Längs- und Querteilanlagen sind die Produktionskosten und die Maßhaltigkeit die wichtigsten Kriterien für den erfolgreichen Betrieb. Die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit steigt durch Verkürzung der Durchlaufzeiten und Verringerung der Schrottquote. Die Qualität Ihrer Produkte hat höchste Priorität. In Längsteilanlagen werden von den IMS-Systemen Bandbreite, Säbel, Dicke und Oberflächenfehler gemessen und Löcher und Feinstlöcher im Material erkannt. In Querteilanlagen messen die Systeme zusätzlich die Planheit und Ebenheit sowie die Blechgeometrie wie Breite, Länge, Diagonalen und Rechtwinkligkeitsfehler, und das alles inline, von Anfang bis Ende, über die gesamte Länge des Coils. Vom ersten bis zum letzten Blech. Besuchen Sie uns! Halle10/Stand10709 IMS Messsysteme GmbH | Dieselstraße 55 | 42579 Heiligenhaus | Germany T: +49 2056 975-0, F: -140 | info@ims-gmbh.de | www.ims-gmbh.de