Key technologies and management of large-scale mold production

Die is different from ordinary manufacturing products. Its biggest feature is the production of single orders. Each set of molds is a new product development process from design to manufacturing. There is basically no case of repeatedly making identical molds. Therefore, many people believe that because of these uncontrollable characteristics of the mold, the size of the mold manufacturer can not be very large, and the production capacity can not be too full. However, with the application of some advanced technologies in the field of molds, the development process of molds has undergone fundamental changes, especially technological progress has promoted the progress of mold production management, making it possible to produce large-scale molds.

The production of large-scale molds has several characteristics: large output value, many customers serving, multiple projects, and miscellaneous standards; there are many companies involved in production collaboration. The general process of stamping mold development is: stamping process design - mold structure design - foam production - castings and standard parts procurement - machining - mold assembly - mold debugging. This article mainly discusses the key technologies and management that support the production of large-scale molds from the main parts of automotive stamping mold production.

Stamping process knowledge base and intelligent process design

1. Stamping Technology Knowledge Base

Stamping process is the core content of stamping die technology. The stamping process is good or bad and directly affects the quality and cycle of the outgoing parts. For a long time, the stamping process depends on experience. Therefore, even if the same part is viewed by different people, it will have different technological solutions. At the design stage, it is often not good enough to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages. It is no longer comparable when debugging. Sex. On the one hand, this phenomenon shows that the process plan is not unique, but only better; on the other hand, this content lacks controllable standards and quality is not guaranteed. How to achieve the control and specification of the stamping process is the most important in the stamping die technology. To achieve large-scale production, we must first solve this problem.

For automobile panel stamping dies, there are roughly 300 to 400 stamping parts for a vehicle model. There are about dozens of classifications based on the characteristics of the parts. There are generally only a few difficult points or characteristic points in each part that can affect the process. The knowledge base can be established based on such features, KBE technology and human interaction functions can be applied to develop intelligent stamping process analysis system based on knowledge engineering, and software technology can be used to ensure optimized and standard process results. The application of this technology can break the barriers to experience, allowing people with a little bit of stamping knowledge to do it. Figure 1 shows the interface of the stamping process knowledge base template.

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Figure 1 stamping process knowledge base template

It is worth mentioning that the impact of the stamping process analysis is not only the process experience, but also the design of the body parts themselves. In addition to meeting functional and aesthetic requirements, a good product design should also consider the manufacturing process and cost of the product. Stronger car companies generally have their own body stamping process department, whose role is to conduct product manufacturing process analysis during the car body design stage, and provide suggestions for improvement. If it is a deformed car design, it will also feedback previous issues to In this change. Such a body mold development is also greatly reduced the difficulty. In contrast, the stamping process left over from the design of some automobile bodies in China is quite problematic. Once the model is closed, the changing process is complicated and difficult, which affects the development cycle and leaves quality problems. Therefore, in the development of modern auto body molds, the stamping process analysis at the auto body design stage is more and more important, and it is also an important link to control the mold development. As the front-end technology for mold development, the stamping process should be gradually integrated into the automotive body design process. This demand will promote the strategic alliance between the mold companies and auto companies and design companies.

2. Stamping CAE assisted process analysis

The application of CAE technology in the field of stamping dies is a major technological revolution in the mold industry. The current stamping CAE software is basically developed based on the finite element theory. The internationally popular software includes AUTOFORM, DYNAFORM, and PAM-STAMP. With the promotion of CAE software in the mold industry, the function of the software is also constantly improving and strengthening. The current software can perform the whole process of simulation calculation such as stretching, trimming, flanging, shaping, and springback (see Figure 2). .

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Figure 2 Calculation results of springback

The application effect of stamping CAE technology should exert its several functions:

(1) Establish a stamping process evaluation standard system based on CAE analysis results, and become the basis for controlling the process;
(2) Combining the experience of stamping process, combining CAE analysis and knowledge engineering, and becoming a tool to optimize the stamping process;
(3) Combining the actual measurement of the press commissioning to provide a reference for the auxiliary commissioning;
(4) The process control based on CAE analysis should have sufficient margins to improve the applicability to the actual stamping conditions.

Standardized, templatized rapid die design

With the development of CAD software technology, parametric three-dimensional design has been widely used in the field of molds. The three-dimensional CAD software currently used in the field of stamping dies includes CATIA, UG, and Pro-E. These types of software have strong parameters. Function. It is an important condition to meet the requirements of large-scale mold production, increase the speed of mold structure design, and shorten the design cycle. Relying on parametric design software, the structural characteristics of various types of stamping dies are studied, and a templated design system is developed, which can reduce repetitive structural design and significantly increase design speed. However, due to the uniqueness of the die structure design, it is not feasible to pursue a universal templating system, but by using the associated standardized parameterized local typical structure, the design process of the die becomes a cumulative process of the local parameterized structure. Software Boolean operation. The mold template design system is shown in Figure 3.

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Figure 3 mold template design system

The mold structure design is a concrete realization of the process. In the traditional mold design flow, the design of each sequential mold structure of the same workpiece is completed by different people, the exchange between them is small, and the design change information of the previous process cannot be delivered in time. Due to process changes affecting the mold structure changes occur from time to time, resulting in the next process is actually a lot of time wasteful work. For a certain process, the processes are interconnected. If the links between the processes can be linked in the sequence of the molds, the order of the molds can be parallelized. The key technology to achieve parallel design is related design. Nowadays, some software based knowledge engineering module systems have been able to help realize the associated design. By associating with the design, it is also possible to reuse the mold design resources of the approximate parts and shorten the design cycle.

Another challenge in mold design is quality control. From the standpoint of mold development alone, there is basically no possibility of improvement in existing molds. Then we should go through the process of “mold design-physical verification-modification design-formal manufacturing” to ensure product quality. However, due to cycle and cost issues, “physical verification” and “formal manufacturing” are often combined into one link. Therefore, various “abnormalities” may appear in actual production. These “abnormalities” affect product quality and cycle time, and even disrupt the entire production plan. The root cause of the problem lies in the lack of a verification process. The use of advanced digital means can achieve "digital verification" instead of "physical verification." The specific method is:

(1) establish a standardized design method to avoid irregular personal design habits to bring about abnormal problems;

(2) establish a strict quality control process and make good auditing off;

(3) Use advanced digital software technology for targeted verification, such as: develop CAD software function modules, perform automatic interference check; use finite element software for structural strength analysis; use cast analysis software for castability analysis; The mechanism motion simulation software performs dynamic motion analysis of the die and press lines; tool motion simulation software is used for processability analysis. Figure 4 shows the simulation results of the mold casting process.

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Figure 4 simulation of mold casting process

"Digital Verification" instead of "Physical Verification" can achieve quality control, but if each mold goes through such a process, it will take a lot of time, so rely on digital simulation to establish a variety of design standards, through the software's proofreading check function To achieve the control of various quality parameters is the most effective method.

High-speed, high-precision CNC machining

High-performance CNC milling technology is one of the core technologies for the manufacture of high-quality automobile molds because of its high precision and high cutting feed rate. The high-performance CNC machining of the mold free surface can greatly improve the precision of the mold processing and shorten the processing time, thereby improving the manufacturing quality and production efficiency of the mold.

Tool path design and planning is the primary task of high-performance CNC machining of freeform surfaces. Traditional toolpath design planning is based on the geometrical characteristics of the part being machined, based on experience to design the toolpath and set the cutting parameters, and then convert it into a numerical control machining code, which is realized by the numerical control equipment. To achieve high-speed, high-precision CNC machining, such a tool path requires the NC system to have advanced functions such as program pre-processing and monitoring. These functions can scan the NC code to be processed while controlling the machining, and according to its calculation method. Adjust the feed rate. Some CNC systems also have better intelligent error compensation and contour control functions for high-performance machining. The advanced functions on these hardware have played a key role in ensuring the accuracy of parts processing.

Another issue that needs to be considered in mold processing is processing efficiency and reliability. The application of machining trajectory optimization technology can improve the machining efficiency, but due to design or casting errors may cause the processing entity and the design size does not match, resulting in the phenomenon of machining collision knife, therefore, before the processing of the solid castings to be tested and confirmed, the application of simulation technology for the processing process The simulation (see Figure 5) ensures the reliability of the machining and optimizes the machining path.

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Figure 5 process simulation

The high-performance CNC milling process and tool path optimization design solve the single-product mold manufacturing problem, but to ensure a large number of mold manufacturing efficiencies, it requires a reasonable matching of various processing equipment capabilities. The mold structure can be divided into mold body, convex and concave molds, trimming inserts, and integral inserts according to the processing characteristics. According to the type of organization and specialized processing, the efficiency can be significantly improved. Because the volatility of mold orders and types is difficult to predict, the use of appropriate specialized external processing is the most effective way to increase efficiency and control costs.

Digital Debugging

Mold debugging is an important part of the mold development process. Due to the lack of an early "physical verification" process, the commissioning phase also assumes the task of identifying design flaws or errors and correcting them. The quality and cycle of its completion mainly depend on three aspects: the quality of the mould process and design; the experience and level of debugging of the fitter; and the conditions of the hardware equipment for commissioning. Most of the mold companies are now lack of protection in these three aspects, mold debugging stage is the most "out of control" stage, locksmiths often like firefighters, which project will go to the delivery of which project.

The fitter's workload is mainly reflected in two aspects, namely, coloring, research and debugging. These two aspects are also related to each other, and improving the integration rate is also to ensure the quality of outsourcing debugging. Coloring is to ensure that the upper and lower mold and the workpiece evenly fit, especially for the quality of outer plate surface quality, this work is generally improved by the fitter manually push the mold gradually, sometimes a large amount of work. The distribution of the upper and lower mold clearances is reflected by the thickness distribution of the colorant after the coloration and combination. Through the “coloring and painting-combination-precision photogrammetry analysis-secondary finishing”, the amount of fitter research can be significantly reduced or even realized. The key is to reflect the thickness value according to the color depth of the color material, and correspond to the processing correction of the mold surface, to be completed by a special surface processing software. The coloring of the parts is shown in Figure 6.

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Figure 6 workpiece coloring

The fitter's debugging is similar to the stamping process. It can rely on digital means to break the dependence on experience and achieve standardization of debugging. The digital means mainly rely on hardware. In fact, the punching results in the debugging phase have been very objective. As long as there are sophisticated instruments for measurement, knowledge of applied material deformation theory can completely find a solution to the problem. It does not need to rely on experience at all.

Debugging can also establish a knowledge base for the classification of workpieces. Based on these measurement data, an intelligent debugging and analysis system based on knowledge engineering is developed to realize digital debugging technology that relies on software systems.

Data flow control and scale data management

Mold production process includes: process-design-real production-casting, standard parts procurement-machining-debugging, each link is responsible for different departments, a large number of mold information data flow between departments, but also from the upstream Product data changes are very frequent, without a good process control and data version management, resulting in disastrous results. A PDM system is an information system with such a function (see Figure 7).

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Figure 7 PDM data management

PDM technology first appeared in the early 1980s, aiming to solve the computerized management problems of a large number of engineering drawings, technical documents, and CAD files. Later, it gradually expanded into three main areas of product development: design drawings and electronic documents. Administration, BOM management, integration with engineering documents, and tracking and management of engineering change requests/instructions. Using PDM framework software, the bottom layer is supported by a large engineering database and adopts information and functional adapter technology to develop integrated interfaces with CAD/CAE/CAPP/CAM and other software systems, respectively, to achieve smooth flow and smooth conversion of multiple information, and achieve unified Sharing applications of data sources and various types of data. The PDM process management is shown in Figure 8.

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Figure 8 PDM process management

The use of PDM system can also effectively control the project process, monitor project management, and solve the difficulty of project management for large-scale mold production. In the PDM system, the data flow is transmitted in the prescribed flow, and each process node has a clear responsibility and supervisor. When the project process is blocked, it is easy to find the crux of the problem and coordinate processing.

Industrial chain information management

The four major players in the automotive mold industry chain (see Figure 9) include: auto OEMs or commissioned stamping parts collaboration plants; auto mold leading enterprises; automotive mold small and medium-sized enterprises; foundries, standard parts factories and other suppliers. At present, the main enterprises in the industrial chain are basically in their own state of governance, lack of effective alliances and cooperation, and can not meet the needs of large-scale mold production. Businesses facing the three levels of the industry chain need to develop corresponding service systems: customer collaboration systems, collaborative manufacturing systems, and supply coordination systems, and integrate a unified networked platform. Networking collaboration to support large-scale mold production is the future development of the mold industry. The important form. The automobile automaker or the commissioned stamping parts cooperation plant is an important node of the industrial chain. It can realize the order issuance, project tracking and quality management through the platform; the automobile mold leading enterprise is the main body of the industrial chain, can use the platform to seek business opportunities, decompose orders, Outsourcing or procurement, control of project processes and implementation of business-based enterprise internal and external application system integration; automotive mold SMEs as an extension of the main body of the industry chain, the use of the platform to obtain orders, integration into the manufacturing chain, implementation of projects and technical services, through leasing or Purchase the software components provided by the platform to realize the enterprise's lightweight informatization; foundries, standard parts factories and other suppliers can obtain supply and demand information, release information and complete transactions.

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Figure 9 Automotive mold industry chain

The networked public platform can also solve the problem of wasteful waste of resources and realize the optimal allocation of resources for the automotive mold industry. At present, the manufacturing industry's current manufacturing resources cannot fully play its role, and its utilization rate is relatively low. The public service platform is an effective means to achieve industry leapfrogging and optimize the use of corporate resources. Through the establishment of a networked collaborative design and manufacturing environment and the use of information networks that span the globe, companies can seek partners in a wide geographical area and form an online virtual enterprise alliance. The alliance is driven by the market, with common interests as the link, and different companies. It is linked dynamically with the organization's manufacturing resources to achieve optimal resource reorganization and improve resource utilization.

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