New press deflection measuring methods for the creation of substitutive models for efficient die cambering

Cost and time for die tryout are significant within the car industry, and elastic deflections of dies and presses are most commonly not considered during the virtual die design and forming simulation phase. Because of this, active surfaces of stamping dies are only cambered based on previous experiences of tool types and presses. However, almost all stamping dies and presses are unique, and available experiences are not valid for new materials. Partners within the Eureka SMART Advanced Manufacturing research project CAMBER have developed advanced deflection measuring devices to quantify the elastic deformations of presses. Using these measurements, cambering methodologies can be utilized in sheet metal forming simulations. Important breakthroughs in recent years enabling the cambering methodology consists of efficient simulation strategies for full scale simulations with elastic dies and optimization techniques for creating substitutive press structures based on measurements. Furthermore, modem press deflection measurement methods are beneficial in applications such as Industry 4.0, predictive maintenance, product quality control, etc. through a more advanced understanding and live monitoring of the press system.open access