Page 50 - MetalForming June 2012

Tooling Technology
designer can perform that task. Taking that amount of sophistication and cre- ating a simplified user interface may mean that something has been com- promised.”
The bottom line, according to Ulintz: Understand the limitations and capabilities of the software, and meas- ure those against the cost and what you need it to do.
Ulintz offers additional advice: “Changing blank size,” he insists, “affects formability.
“When using a one-step code, a user may project a formed part onto a flat blank with good forming results,” he continues. “But then the user adds material to the blank in the die design, figuring that the excess material can just be trimmed to create the finished part. But adding material increases blank size, which changes how the part forms. That requires resimulating. High-end design software with incre- mental forming simulation codes— allowing users to incrementally form a
part in different phases—will simulate the change in blank size and provide results for the change. However, soft- ware with these codes can be much more expensive and more time-con- suming to set up.”
Do Not Fear One-Step Codes
You may think that one-step codes should be avoided. Not at all, according to Ulintz. Such codes provide high accuracy and rapid analysis turn- around, an ideal combination that enables software to produce accurate quotes and good part-formability data early in the product-design process.
One-step codes—used during prod- uct development and process plan- ning—assess manufacturing feasibili- ty. Then, incremental codes provide final validation for completely defined product and process (die) designs. Due to simplifying assumptions, one-step codes compromise accuracy for the sake of time. These compromises are offset by the fact that numerous what-
if scenarios can be evaluated in a mat- ter of minutes to help identify impor- tant process parameters.
Because of their speed and mini- mal input data, one-step codes rou- tinely find use during product design to help establish feasible processing methods. One-step codes can provide visualized data output such as wrinkle and splitting tendencies, or approxi- mate strain and thickness distributions induced by the forming process.
The chief disadvantage of one-step codes, as Ulintz explained, is that they are restricted to a single, one-step form- ing operation. That said, these codes offer the best solution during product development, as very little input is required and rapid analysis turnaround means little delay in the product-design phase.
“Again,” Ulintz stresses, “be aware of what you are purchasing, and know the capabilities and limitations, then determine the best fit for your needs.”
MF
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