Creating a Software Ecosystem for Enhancing Quality, Productivity and Competence of Metal Forming

Whereas, CAD-CAM has taken deep roots in Indian Industry to compliment CNC Machines; on Forming side the awareness, competence and effective use of supporting software ecosystem has been severely restricted to very few domains. As a result, most forming technologies in India today get deployed in “equipment centric standalone mode” based on “experience / iteration baked expertise”, with lower productivity, minimal automation, lesser predictability and consistency in effectiveness.

This tends to undermine the real potential of Forming Technologies and makes them relatively unattractive for investment and for making a career in it.

While Sheet Formability Simulation, BIW Assembly, Sheet part CAD models, Vehicle Crash Simulation, CAM for Laser Cutting, Casting Process Development, Simulation of molten metal flow and accessibility and collision checking have been in use for decades; the same cannot be said about following application areas, which have become possible today and there is much effectiveness to be gained by integrating them with corresponding Forming Processes.

Simulation and CAM for Press Brake and CNC Punch Press

For sheet products involving simple bending, punching, embossing, and deburring, there are Software utilities available for product design, process design, simulation, spring back prediction / correction, tool selection, ATC management, back gauge movement, scrap flow, integrated Robotic Automation and management of raw material stack as well as finished parts, etc. However, it is common to see Press Brake and Punch Press usage in isolation sans any automation or integration.

Laser Hardening cum Cladding

While Laser Hardening and Cladding is used for repair / minor modification of Die-Mold and Turbine Blades, the process parameters are largely decided by hit and trial or by empirical thumb rules. Now it is possible to simulate and optimize the process and aim for uniform hardness / microstructure / texture even where there is uneven quenching mass. Needless to say, if stamping Die has uneven hardness in contact zone it is visually seen on produced sheet part.

Tube Bending, End Forming Laser Cutting and Hydroforming

In Indian market Tube Bending, End Forming, Tube Laser Cutting and Tube Hydroforming exist on separate islands of expertise; while all four processes have now got integrated through common Software and Automation. Despite nasty spring back, it is now possible to achieve correctly positioned holes, end forms and overall geometry of parts. It is also possible to extend the process integration to structures built by assembly of parts thus made.

Simulation and Design for use of Rotary Swaging, Axial Forming for Lighter Transmission Elements

Electric Vehicles will involve use of hollow light-weighted transmission elements and drive shafts sooner than later. Unless vehicle designers know how to design with such hollow transmission elements, which are made by forming route rather than machining; they would not call for such parts in vehicle BOM. Consequently the machines based on this technology would not find entry in the market. There is need and potential of using this promising technology and it starts from Design.

CAD-CAM for Laser Remote Welding

Laser Remote Welding will replace Spot Welding at BIW Line but in absence of availability and competence of Process Design and Simulation; the technology gets branded as “not for us”, “costly”, “exotic” and “futuristic” and gets summarily overlooked for serious implementation by Automotive OEMs. The “cost” would get diluted once OEMs plan for large scale adoption. The kick off point lies in having competence first.

Mechanical Design of Structural Elements with Composites

Use of composites currently gets restricted to applications like Panels, Covers, Shells and non-load bearing parts; because mechanical designers do not have the Software tools to do mechanical design using its “tailorable” and weight optimisable anisotropic strength. With that immense possibilities of light weighting are waiting in abeyance. Although there are some Software offerings where composites can be built based on thumb-rule based library of options but the structural analysis part in not in widespread use yet.

Design with Hot Formed Parts

As in composites in Hot Forming, there is lack of competence to predict and play with tailored strength and microstructure of parts made by Hot Forming. The technology is just sought to be used for making some cold formed parts by Hot Forming to push certain limits for compliance. However that restricts the potential benefits of the technology in product engineering.

Welding Simulation

Difficulty in managing welding distortion and difficulty in manipulating the welding process in order to get a consistent quality while deskilling the process remains a challenge. While, electronics has opened up many possibilities for predictive and adaptive control of welding and automation of coordinated weld positioning; for lack of use of Integrated Robotic Weld CAM and Simulation Software simpler manual skill based welding equipment are still being preferred by Indian industrial units.

Simulation of Forging

Forging still remains a “crude” technology based on experience and thumb rules while it has become possible to predict the properties right up to microstructure, defects and alloying distribution in relation with strokes, timing and forces through Software Simulation. Getting forging equipment with better dynamic controllability is something that is becoming increasingly possible.

Simulation, Design and Process Design for Metal Additive Manufacturing

Although Software has been developed and is being showcased, metal additive manufacturing technology has not yet reached designers in the manufacturing industry for them to design for additive manufacturing with an aim of using its full benefit. Probably a marketing push is required here to develop confidence. Cost and production efficiency of additive manufacturing is something that would move in favourable direction once the scale of implementation emerges. Here again, the starting point is design for additive manufacturing.

Avinash Khare, Consultant, IMTMA