Page 42 - MetalForming June 2013

Tooling by Design
By Peter Ulintz
Next Generation of Metalforming Professionals
After World War II, many skilled tradesmen immigrated to the United States from the wreckage of post-war Europe. They brought with them diversity in culture, a strong work ethic, technical training and on- the-job experiences.
A wide spectrum of technical train- ing and experience was very desirable during this period of time, especially in experience-based disciplines such as die design and tool and die making. Therefore, companies with the most technically diverse and experienced workforce were best-prepared to han- dle the challenges of designing and building a large variety of metal-stamp- ing dies.
Employing superior die makers and die designers is what separated metal- formers from their competitors. As a result, experience became the most coveted attribute for die designers and tool and die makers because it was synonymous with job security, higher wages, advancement, prestige, respect and influence.
It was very common at that time for a tool and die maker to receive a final
Peter Ulintz has worked in the metal stamping and tool and die indus- tries since 1978. He has been employed with the Anchor Manufacturing Group in Cleveland, OH, since 1989. His back- ground includes tool and die making, tool engi- neering, process engi-
neering, engineering management and product development. He is vice-president of the North American Deep Drawing Research Group. Peter speaks regularly at PMA seminars and confer- ences and maintains the website, www.Toolingby- Design.com. The site serves as a web-based source for the transfer of modern metalforming technology and the advancement of “Performance- Based Die Engineering Strategies.”
Peter Ulintz pete.ulintz@toolingbydesign.com www.toolingbydesign.com
part drawing and be expected to design and build a die from this information alone. This involved blueprint read- ing, calculating and developing flat blanks, creating and dimensioning die- process plans, making detail sketch- es, manufacturing die components on manually operated machines, assem- bling and trying out the die, trou- bleshooting problems and imple- menting changes to increase productivity. After the die was approved for production, the die maker often became responsible for its mainte- nance.
Apprentices learned how to build dies from these
aluminum alloys, some of which required annealing between forming operations and heattreatment after- wards. During this time, the experi- enced-based method of designing and building dies began to break down as very few metal-stamping and tool and die professionals had any experience with these new materials.
By the 1990s, solid model 3D CAD design, multiaxis CNC machining, waterjet technology, multiaxis lasers and other computer-assisted tech- nologies had become commonplace. Planers, shapers and profile grinders disappeared from the shop floor, and
highly skilled arti-
sans. Much of their
training focused on
machining and
hand-working skills,
interpreting die lay-
outs and calculating
dimensions. Typical
toolroom machines
of the era included
planers, shapers, duplicating machines, pantographs, profile grinders, surface grinders, drill presses and manual milling machines. Advanced die shops of the era might have had limited EDM capability or even a tape-driven NC machine.
The 1980s brought an energy crisis, inflation and increasing wages. Automakers became intensely focused on controlling costs and reducing time to market. This gave rise to new tech- nologies like 2D CAD design and CNC machining. Laser technology also began to emerge as an efficient, safe, precise and viable manufacturing tool.
New government mandates to increase vehicle fuel economy led automakers to further reduce vehicle weight by specifying higher-strength and dual-phase steels as well as new
drafting boards in
the engineering department gave way to computers. Die shops learned to manufacture die components and move them through the shop in a defined production process. Die makers became
die-assembly and tryout specialists, no longer required to plan, detail or machine die components. By the end of the decade, powerful computer-aided engineering tools began to emerge, the most significant being metalforming analysis. Tool and die shops no longer resembled the trade of a generation ago.
This past decade has brought sim- ple, accurate and inexpensive flat-blank development and optimization soft- ware used cost-effectively during the quoting process. Stress-based analy- sis of die structures and dynamic analy- sis of material-handling systems also have emerged. Tool-steel selection, heattreatment and surface-coating evaluations (called “advisor” tools) now are embedded in die-design and metal- stamping simulation codes to help
The metalforming and tool and die industries (among many other industries) are at a critical crossroads.
Tooling Technology
40 MetalForming/June 2013
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