A Flexible Design Automation System for Toolsets for the Rotary Draw Bending of Aluminium Tubes

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Input Data ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Design System ◽  
Automation System ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Knowledge Objects ◽  
Draw Bending ◽  
Production Preparation

For parts suppliers in the manufacturing industry, the process of preliminary production preparation and the subsequent calculation of offers are critical business activities. A vital part of production preparation is the design of fixtures and tooling necessary for many processes of metal forming. In order for a company to give quick responses to customer enquiries or changes in prior specifications, it would be highly beneficial with a degree of automation in this design process. This implies the development of a computer based system able to capture existing design procedures and associated knowledge for the classes of tooling required for the forming process. In this work, an implementation for the rotary draw bending of aluminum tubing has been done to exemplify how to develop an automated design system. The system is based on heuristic knowledge developed over many years of practical experience, knowledge analytically derived from fundamental theory found in scientific literature, and rules based on empirical data from trial manufacturing. The system applies knowledge to a given specification that a skilled engineer otherwise would do manually. The system output can be used to evaluate whether a tube is producible. The main idea behind the system is to use knowledge objects containing information on inputs, outputs, constraints and what software are used to implement the knowledge pieces. This approach makes the system highly flexible and allows for multiple types of knowledge that might overlap. When an offering calculation is wanted, the system is set to run applicable knowledge objects for presented input data. Other objects are run when an accurate calculation for detailing is wanted for a more detailed set of input data. The system is built on readily available commercial software packages connected with a simple Visual Basic .Net program. When building a system of this kind, it is essential that the knowledge documentation and structure be such that the functions of the system can be easily understood by the users of the system and by future developers. Aspects of user friendliness, transparency and scalability are addressed in the summary of this paper.

How to Build Flexible Design Automation Systems for Manufacturability Analysis of the Draw Bending of Aluminum Profiles

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Design Automation ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Automation Systems ◽  
Draw Bending ◽  
Production Preparation ◽  
Aluminum Profiles

Manufacturing companies continually need to develop and produce products faster, cheaper, and of better quality to meet requirements from customers and investors. One key factor in meeting these requirements is the efficiency of the product development and the production preparation processes. Design automation is a powerful tool for increasing the efficiency of these two processes. The benefits of automating manufacturability analyses, a part of the production preparation process, are shortened lead time, improved product performance, and ultimately decreased cost. Further, the automation is beneficial as it increases the ability to adapt products to new specifications since production preparations are done in few or in a single step. Extruded sections of aluminum (aluminum profiles) have many advantages, especially for light weight structural members, and are used in many products. Many times a secondary forming process, such as bending, is required when these materials are used. The intention of the work presented in this article has been to investigate how to automate the process of finding manufacturing limits of the rotary draw bending of aluminum profiles with focus on the system architecture needed to make such systems flexible. Finding the forming limits of an aluminum profile is not a trivial task. This is because the limits depend not only on the profile shape but also on the layout of the tool. Hence, simulations have to be done to evaluate different designs. A prototype system was developed to explore what was needed to automate simulation of the rotary draw bending of aluminum profiles, and subsequently, analyze the simulated production outcome with respect to wrinkling and developed length.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOMATED DESIGN SYSTEM FOR FLEXIBLE AUTOMATED PRODUCTION

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Еvhen PUKHOVSKYY
Keyword(s):  
Flexible Manufacturing ◽  
Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Automated Design ◽  
Numerical Control ◽  
Design System ◽  
Automation System ◽  
Mathematical Methods ◽  
Integrated Automation System ◽  
Design Systems ◽  
Production Preparation

Design of flexible manufacturing  systems (FMS) of modern multi-level production is usually carried out on the basis of general rationing when using large recommendations.  At the same time, the specifics and features of a particular production are not always taken into account.  In such a design, the most important is the experience of the designer, which is not always based on modern methods of optimizing project solutions.  Therefore, the problem of creating automated design systems in the development of flexible automated productions (FAP), which use cost equipment with numerical control (CNC) is extremely urgent.    The development of automated design systems is based on the ideas of a systematic approach that determine different cycles of the process: design - production preparation - production. Information about the projected object is generated in the process of project development by different groups of users: researchers, designers, designers, technologists, production organizers. A multilevel, cyclical design process requires the use of such a volume of information that cannot be processed without the use of modern mathematical methods and calculated equipment. Therefore, it is extremely important to create automated gap design systems, which are marked by greater versatility, efficiency and possibility of development, improvement and adaptation to the conditions of various enterprises. Such requirements served as the basis for the creation of an automated design  system  , which allows to take into account a huge amount of information in the automatic cycle during the development of the project. The scientific novelty of the work is the development of an integrated automation system for the design of processing technology and the selection of elements of  FMS structures. At the same time, information unity with the system of technological training of production at the level of operation of  FMS is ensured.

scholarly journals Deformation Property and Suppression of Ultra-Thin-Walled Rectangular Tube in Rotary Draw Bending

Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1074
Author(s):  
Kunito Nakajima ◽  
Noah Utsumi ◽  
Yoshihisa Saito ◽  
Masashi Yoshida
Keyword(s):  
Wall Thickness ◽  
Weight Reduction ◽  
Electromagnetic Waves ◽  
Thin Wall ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Deformation Properties ◽  
Rectangular Tube ◽  
Lateral Constraint ◽  
Draw Bending

Recently, miniaturization and weight reduction have become important issues in various industries such as automobile and aerospace. To achieve weight reduction, it is effective to reduce the material thickness. Generally, a secondary forming process such as bending is performed on the tube, and it is applied as a structural member for various products and a member for transmitting electromagnetic waves and fluids. If the wall thickness of this tube can be thinned and the bending technology can be established, it will contribute to further weight reduction. Therefore, in this study, we fabricated an aluminum alloy rectangular tube with a height H0 = 20 mm, width W0 = 10 mm, wall thickness t0 = 0.5 mm (H0/t0 = 40) and investigated the deformation properties in the rotary draw bending. As a result, the deformation in the height direction of the tube was suppressed applying the laminated mandrel. In contrast, it was found that the pear-shaped deformation peculiar to the ultra-thin wall tube occurs. In addition, axial tension and lateral constraint were applied. Furthermore, the widthwise clearance of the mandrel was adjusted to be bumpy. As a result, the pear-shaped deformation was suppressed, and a more accurate cross-section was obtained.

scholarly journals Design of a fuzzy controller to prevent wrinkling during rotary draw bending

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Borchmann ◽  
Dominique Schneider ◽  
Bernd Engel
Keyword(s):  
Process Parameters ◽  
Fuzzy Controller ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Rule Base ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Human Decision Process ◽  
Bending Process ◽  
Draw Bending ◽  
Validation Tests

Rotary draw bending (RDB) is a forming process that is commonly used to bend tubes with small wall thicknesses and small bending radii. One of the limitations of this process is the formation of wrinkles caused by compressive stress on the inner bend. In order to design the bending process without wrinkles and to determine the necessary process parameters, adjustment tests are required. Within this work, a fuzzy controller is to be developed which automatically prevents the formation of wrinkles and thus eliminates the need for time-consuming set-up tests to determine the necessary process parameters. The fuzzy controller is based on fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic. In connection with a rule base it is possible to simulate the human decision process. A fuzzy controller is programmed based on a max-min controller, with the required rules resulting from previous bending tests. After the fuzzy controller has been implemented, it must be connected to the bending machine by suitable interfaces. The input values, which indicate wrinkles, are measured by sensors during the bending process and provide the controller with data. The fuzzy controller then uses the control base to specify the required control variables. After programming has been completed, practical validation tests were carried out. In the validation tests using different tube wall thicknesses and materials, a significant reduction of wrinkles is achieved. Bending of completely wrinkle-free tubes is also possible due to the automated finding of optimal tool settings. Using the fuzzy controller eliminates the need for costly adjustment bends, resulting in significant time and cost savings.

Manufacturability Analysis Using Integrated KBE, CAD and FEM

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Development Process ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Product Development Process ◽  
Finite Element Analyses ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Knowledge Objects ◽  
Draw Bending ◽  
Made In

Finite element analyses (FEA) are often used to test product properties virtually. The process of setting up FEA is many times manual and not strictly formalized; the assumptions made in those calculations highly depend on the analysts’ former experiences and gut feeling. Sometimes there exist parametric FEA-models, but they are hard to interpret for others than the developers. These parametric FEA-models are also highly inflexible. It is beneficial to formalize and automate the process of developing such calculations in order to automate the product development process for mature and variant-rich products where predictions and validations using FEA are demanded in the whole or parts of the design space. Making the automated FEA-models more flexible and more transparent makes them live longer and be more available for engineers that are not FEA-specialists. The FEA-specialists will have more time to solve general problems rather than focusing on instances of the product. In this paper, a proposal is made on how to integrate Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE), CAD and FEM to make the automation of FEA flexible, transparent, and easy to use. The method proposed includes the usage of an inference engine that handles knowledge objects that connect to auxiliary software applications. In the paper, an implementation example is presented where toolsets for the rotary draw bending of aluminium tubing are analyzed for manufacturability.

Investigation of Neutral Axis Shifting in Rotary Draw Bending Processes for Tubes

2014 ◽  
Vol 85 (7) ◽  
pp. 1209-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Engel ◽  
Hassan Raheem Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Neutral Axis ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
Draw Bending

Characteristics of Rotary Draw-Bent Tubes for the Hydroforming

2011 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 320-324
Author(s):  
Byeong Don Joo ◽  
Jeong Hwan Jang ◽  
Hyun Jong Lee ◽  
Young Hoon Moon
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
Structural Strength ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Thickness Variation ◽  
Important Process ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
Higher Dimensional ◽  
Bending Process ◽  
Geometric Size ◽  
Draw Bending

Hydroformed parts have higher dimensional accuracy, structural strength, and dimensional repeatability. The pre-bending process is an important process for the successful hydroforming in the case where the perimeter of the blank is nearly the same as that of final product. At initial pre-bending stage, the variations of wall thickness and cross-section have effects on the accuracy of final products and quality. Because of a relatively excellent productive velocity, geometric size precision and reliance of product qualities, rotary draw bending is widely used. This study shows the bendability such as cross-section ovality, springback ratio and thickness variation in the various conditions of materials.

Numerical Research on High-Strength Rectangular Section Steel Tube in Rotary-Draw Bending

2014 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. 417-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Wen Xing ◽  
Zhi Wei Xu ◽  
Hong Liang Yang ◽  
Cheng Xi Lei
Keyword(s):  
High Strength ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Steel Tube ◽  
Rotary Draw Bending ◽  
Rectangular Section ◽  
Control Variate ◽  
Fillet Radius ◽  
Bending Process ◽  
Bending Radius ◽  
Draw Bending

A finite element model of high-strength rectangular section steel tube in rotary-draw bending is established to study the stress and strain in the bending process. Based on control variate method, this paper analyzes the influence laws of three geometric parameters on rotary-draw bending. The results show that bending radius is the most important factor, forming property increases significantly with the increase of bending radius, the trends of cracking and wrinkling are all decreased. The thickness of wall has influence on the strain of inwall, thinner tube may cause crack and wrinkle. Fillet radius has no effect on ektexine, the strain of inwall decreases slightly with the increase of fillet radius.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document