Page 76 - MetalForming October 2016

The Onus
is on Die
Designers
...to support the desire of metalformers to do more work— and more complex work—in the die, and avoid costly secondary operations. Design and simulation software increasingly is the tool die shops use to meet the needs of their stamper customers; here’s one shining example.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
Ten years after switching from 2D die-design software to 3D, the management team at Oldenburg Metal Tech. knows well the benefits of designing dies in 3D, and readily recites their documented results. They include the ability to design larger and more complex tools in less time; run dynamic interference detection between die assem- blies; eliminate die-assembly mistakes made on the shop floor; and efficiently organize files. The firm’s software arsenal (six seats of Logopress3 die-design software along with seven seats of SolidWorks, and new FTI forming-simulation soft- ware added in 2014) has served as the foundation for its rapid growth curve—evidenced by a seven-fold increase in revenue since 2005.
But the success story at Oldenburg, Saukville, WI, is nowhere near the end, as the company of nearly 50 employ- ees finds itself “leaning on the die-design and simulation software more than ever before,” says engineering manager Mike Schmit. “Dies are getting larger, in the range of 40 by 144 in. compared to 30 by 60 in. a few years ago,” he stresses. “And, part complexity continues to be a challenge. Tolerances
Dies are getting larger and part complexity continues to be a challenge. Tolerances are getting tighter, requiring more restrikes, and there’s more use of in-die automation and assem- bly, and adjustability within the tools. All of this adds up to increased reliance on die-design/development software at Old- enburg Metal Tech.
are getting tighter, requiring more restrikes. And we’re also seeing an uptick in the use of in-die automation and assem- bly, and adjustability within in the tools. Our design/devel- opment software (all acquired through Accurate Die Design Software, Inc., Brookfield, WI) allows our designers to effi- ciently accommodate all of this added complexity, and the additional tooling components. Then, our toolmakers find that the designs we send down to the shop are bulletproof. They can get the dies built, often in just a couple of weeks. Then, often in one development cycle in the tryout press, we can provide completed, proved-out dies ready for our customers.”
74 MetalForming/October 2016
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