Page 24 - MetalForming August 2010

Tooling Technology
ToolingUpdate Simulation Slashes Die-Design Time to One Month
“Based on the trial results, we would have changed the design, sent the exist- ing die to the machine shop for repairs and tried it out again on a press,” Bor- rego says. “It would typically take about 3 months to fix the die, but the modified die would not have produced parts that matched the original design model, so another 6 to 8 months would have been needed to implement design changes and obtain customer approval.”
Borrego decided instead to simulate the die with Pam-Stamp 2G prior to building the tool. “The software allows us to accurately simulate the performance of complex dies,” Borrego adds. “It models the initial part and simulates all metalforming operations up to the fin- ished product in order to forecast any
Mexican auto-parts supplier PEMSA (Pintura, Estampado y Montaje S.A.P.I. de C.V.) recently faced the challenge of designing a tandem die to build
a part with a deep contoured shape. Pam-Stamp 2G software from ESI Group, Bloomfield Hills, MI, allowed the firm—in just one month—to simulate the complex stamping process, identify prob- lems and evaluate solutions, and complete the die. Without the software, say company offi- cials, it would have built the die, found problems, and then endured a 9- to 11-month process of fixing the die and
making the required engineering changes. Engineer Sergio Luis Cacique Borrego, responsible for designing the die to build a structural reinforce- ment for an auto- mobile seat, explains that the part is made of high-strength steel and has a complex geometry that requires deep drawing. Further, the part becomes part of a spot-weld- ed assembly and the weld area must
be nearly flat.
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