Page 46 - MetalForming April 2016

Tool Design and Build Made SIMple
Simulation software has allowed Walker Tool and Die to successfully attack springback,
which has become more prevalent with the increased use of higher-strength materials in automotive applications. The first three images at left show how springback is com- pensated for in an automotive B-pillar through successive forming-simulation iterations, with the image at right showing the final part.
features and computation speeds,” says Mason, pointing out that this simulation program is particularly speedy compared to programs the company had used before.
“We can perform six to 10 itera- tions in a day on some parts where, before, we would get one,” he
explains.
Seven Walker employees in
Mason’s department conduct simulation—four AutoForm seats are used for simula- tions, with three more providing modeling sup- port such as unfolding and nesting of blanks. These seats also some- times perform simulation. Nine solvers support the sim-
ulation work.
In practice, Mason’s department
employs simulation from the start of a project, bringing a part into AutoForm to
Strength revealed.
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44 MetalForming/April 2016
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