Page 20 - MetalForming Magazine May 2023

Spotlight on
Spotlight on
Die-Development,
Die-Development,
Stamping-Process
Stamping-Process
Software
Software
Here’s a collection of new software developments related to stamping-die and process development. Visit metalformingmagazine.com for more,
by making your way to the Software section
under the Technologies pulldown.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Software developers bring new features and capabilities to the metal forming market in a regular rhythm, chal- lenging users to keep pace. To catch up on the latest- greatest developments, we reached out to several software companies offering design and simulation packages specif- ically for metal formers. Here’s what we drummed up.
A Trio of Simulation Tools
SolidWorks-based Logopress DieDesign and DieDesign Premium have three different simulation tools running inside of them: Flatten (one-step FEA forming-simulation software); Die Debugger (a set of motion simulation/kine- matics tools); and the newest—ProgSim, an optional add- in. ProgSim, introduced late in 2021, is incremental form- ing-simulation software developed by personnel from AutoForm, Logopress and Accurate Die Design Software. It uses AutoForm solver technology as its core and was cus- tomized for progressive-die designers working with small to medium-sized stampings. ProgSim acts as a virtual tryout press that provides formability results, including springback, as well as automatic blank development via its Cut Optimizer feature (see accompanying images).
While geared toward progressive dies, the software also can be used for single-hit form dies and works with a Logo- press strip layout containing one or many form stations. As a die designer building a Logopress strip layout creates the cutting and forming punches as part of the process, those punches automatically are recognized shortly after the
The top image shows the result of Logopress ProgSim forming the trim geometry from an original die design created 15 yr. ago. The solid blue outline is target geometry selected from the CAD model, and a maximum deviation of 0.010 in. has been set by the user. The green represents trim geometry that falls within 0.010 in. of nominal and the red is trim geometry that extends greater than 0.010 in. from nominal. The bottom photo of the 15-yr.-old stamping visually matches the top image discrepancy of the 0.375-in. radius that ProgSim shows today.
18 MetalForming/May 2023
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