Page 31 - MetalForming Magazine October 2022 - FABTECH

PROTOTYPE DIES
Designed, Simulated ASAP
Time is of the essence when developing prototype tooling for automotive OEMs. That’s where new die design and simulation software enters the picture at the prototype- development operations of metal stamper PTM Corp., where engineers strive to keep up the quickening pace of new automotive platforms coming down the pike.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
When we last visited metal former PTM Corp., in Fair Haven, MI, we found company CEO Donna Kuhr beaming with pride over the firm’s new 1000- ton stamping press, and touting the firm’s evolving expertise in developing automotive floor pans, frame rails and other complex assemblies for OEM customers. “And, we do work in the white goods industry as well—stove tops and wash- ing-machine parts for example,” she told me, back in 2019. “We made our mark,” Kuhr added, “by developing and nour- ishing an engineering relationship with our customers and being solution providers. We provide, for example, design support and prototype development, all the way through production stamping and process development for welding and assembly.”
That emphasis on prototype development—some 50 per- cent of the firm’s work—leads me now to PTM’s Advanced Engineering Center (AEC), a dedicated facility focused on prototype development that houses its own set of hydraulic and mechanical presses (19 in all), two tryout presses, and a fully loaded fabrication area housing laser cutting machines and welding cells, including robotic welders.
And, explains AEC design supervisor Jeff Liggett, the group has its own design department where he and die designer Vince Boghian have worked hard in recent years to reduce the time and ergonomic impact of hand-qualifying prototype parts.
“Automotive prototyping ensures for our customers that the parts produced are functional,” Liggett says. “Our work allows our customers’ engineers to examine part performance in relation to other components and evaluate what might need to be changed or replaced.”
Time is of the essence in this early-stage development
In 2019, PTM invested in three seats of AutoForm Forming suite. Designer Vince Boghian at the PTM Advanced Engineering Cen- ter uses the AutoForm-DieDesigner and AutoForm-Compen- sator modules primarily to quickly and accurately predict and compensate for springback (bottom) and formability before a tool is cast and cut.
28 MetalForming/October 2022
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