“One of the more common and useful advantages provided by Stamping-Advisor,” Tongko continues, “is the ability to quickly and efficiently add draw beads, a very common practice when developing three-piece tools. The software immediately identifies any hot spots so that we can adjust the blank shape accordingly. In the end, a job that might have taken two weeks just for blank development now takes two or three days.”

“We also rely on StampingAdvisor to quickly obtain formability feedback while quoting,” adds Smith, “and to provide timely feedback to our customers regarding their part-design feasibility.”

Smith and Tongko describe one such part, a lower-suspension bracket stamped from 1.9-mm-thick high-strength low-alloy steel in three different sets of tools. A prototype job, the part included a challenging flange design formed in two directions. 

“The StampingAdvisor software helped us unfold the part—a particularly complex geometry,” Tongko says, “and develop the blank. We then were able to visualize what the tooling needed to look like in order to securely hold the partially formed part in the second die—to wipe the walls down. The software then helped us precisely locate pilot holes for the third and final die, and even allowed us to develop a pre-trim operation before the final hit.”

In addition, because blanks are so perfectly developed now, 3-Dimensional Services Group is, in some cases, able to bypass five-axis laser cutting to cut holes and trim stamped parts.  

“We can use our three-axis laser cutting machine to create the developed blanks,” Tongko says. “And because the blank and the stamping process are so precisely developed, we can in some cases, already add the holes and perimeter trim to the three-axis blank and avoid five-axis laser cutting entirely.”

Develop and Test Multiple Concepts

With AutoForm-DieDesigner, Tongko and the other users at 3-Dimensional Services Group quickly can create and simulate alternative die-face designs. “Integrating die-face design with simulation lets us quickly and accurately evaluate multiple concepts for the process and tool,” Tongko shares, “and find the optimum solution based on feasibility, quality and cost.”
Finally, AutoForm-Compensator allows a designer to automatically modify tooling surfaces based either on precise springback calculation or measured springback data. This ability takes on a particularly valuable role as the firm continues to process higher-strength steels. “We’re seeing a lot of dual-phase advanced high-strength steels (AHSS),” says Smith, “and even some Gen 3 980-MPa grades.”

Cold-formable Gen 3 steels, able in some applications to replace press-hardened steels, behave like all AHSS grades, typically creating increased springback concerns. 

“With these materials, in particular, I can use Compensator to clearly define the specific compensation regions within a part profile,” Tongko says. “Then, the software allows me to modify either the entire tooling surface or only selected regions to control compensation. That allows me to arrive at final part geometry in very few iterations. 

“We also can set and adjust, for simulation purposes, press tonnage in Auto- Form-Compensator,” he adds, “to evaluate how tonnage will affect springback. Not only does this help with process design, but it also allows us to, early in process development, decide which press we need to use for the job.” MF

See also: Autoform Engineering USA

Technologies: Software

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