Integration of CAD/CAM/CAE/RP for the development of metal forming process

In order to reduce lead-time and investment cost for the development of metal forming processes, the technological fusion of VP&M (virtual prototyping and manufacturing) and PP&M (physical prototyping and manufacturing) with the concept of concurrent engineering is needed. In this paper, the technology integration of CAD/CAM/CAE, as a part of the practical VP&M methods, and rapid prototyping and manufacturing (RP&M), as a part of the practical PP&M methods, in metal forming is investigated in order to improve the efficiency of development of trial products and dies for metal forming processes. The technology integration does not necessarily require fabrication of conventional trial dies and parts including drawing, machining and final treatments. The technology integration can also consider the process characteristics such as geometrical complexity, effects of the process parameters, flow pattern of workpiece, deformation induced defects, etc., so that it could reduce the trial-and-error in the design stage. Hence, the technology integration enables a remarkable shortening of the lead-time for development of metal forming processes and investment cost for the period. The integrated technology is examined by case studies such as a spider forging, preform design of a rib-web part, extrusion of a triple-connected rectangular tubular section and underframe part for a railroad vehicle, and deep drawing of a clover punch. As a result of the studies, it was verified that the technology integration could be effectively applied to various metal forming processes and reduce remarkably the lead-time and cost of the process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.