Recent Developments in Profiled-Edge Lamination Dies for Sheet Metal Forming

The Profiled-Edge Lamination (PEL) method was developed by the Walczyk and Hardt as an improvement oer the current method of stacking and bonding contured laminations in terms of the lead-time and cost of toolIng development for sheet metal forming dies. It is also a viable alternative to conventional CNC-machining of such dies. In pursuit of successful commercial realization of the PEL method in industry, this paper discusses several important issues including: • the origin of this method and advantages over other tooling techniques • the general procedure for creating PEL machining instructions • determining the geometric error introduced by the straight bevel approximation • the propensity for PEL die delamination from high forming loads • methods for cutting bevels into die laminations and • the machinery needed for PEL die fabrication. Future research and developmental work on the PEL die method will also be outlined.Mechanical Engineerin