Page 32 - MetalForming May 2014

Designing for Dollars
a huge undertaking. The ability to use a native file (a VISI feature) saves time and eliminates these opportunities for error.”
For example, suppose a part design- er provides a file to the tool design- er/builder who then has to redraw, or reparamatize, the part. In most cases, according to Thompson, accomplish- ing this can take a couple of days. That means days lost on design time. Redrawing or reparamatizing also introduces the opportunity for errors that may cause significant challenges down the line during tool design, build and tryout.
“In these situations, the tool design- er/builder may recreate a part that is not identical,” Thompson says. “But using the file provided by the customer ensures that you are working with exactly what it provided, without the risk of errors in translation and the resulting costs.”
Working with multiple files also present challenges.
“Some software systems undertake a large amount of file management in working with assembly and individ- ual files,” says Thompson. “Imagine a die that may have 1000 features. Each of these features may be a separate file in some systems, which then save the files together in an assembly. Doing so requires complicated file manage- ment. If someone removes or deletes one file, the assembly won’t open prop- erly. Some shops may have one employee who spends all day main- taining these files. A single file, com- pressed to make it manageable, pro- vides an ideal solution.”
Another advantage that offers bot- tom-line payoff for stampers and tool builders: The ability to employ a fully integrated software package from design to manufacture.
“If machining of the tool occurs in a different package, someone must trans- late and transfer the files into another format,” Thompson explains. “Even if the separate machining software can
read the design format from the other software, the files still must be trans- ferred and kept current should any changes occur down the line.
“Full systems using one file format,” he continues, “allows shopfloor per- sonnel to look at the part, decide what information is needed and move for- ward without going back to engineering and asking about design intention or requesting a section view because data were not included in what was sent. These time-wasting interactions are eliminated.”
Opportunities to Enhance Profitability
Studies show that during economic recovery, companies stress returning to profitability. How to do that sepa- rates winners from losers. For die shops and stampers, simulation may offer the ideal answer, says Charles Hayden III. Hayden works in technical sales for Engineering Technology Associates, Inc. (ETA), Troy, MI, provider of the
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30 MetalForming/May 2014
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