Automated Design of Tools for Rotary Draw Bending – an Approach Based on Generic CAD-models Driven by Heuristic and Algorithmic Knowledge

Paper in proceeding, 2006

For parts suppliers in the manufacturing industry the process of preliminary production preparation and 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. 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 we exemplify an automated design system for tooling by an implementation for rotary draw bending of aluminium tubing. The system is based on established design practice and heuristic knowledge developed over many years of practical experience. The system will evaluate whether a given specification is producible with existing materials and equipment, select suitable machine, determine process parameters and determine type and dimensions of components of form die, clamp die, follower or pressure die, wiper and mandrel. The system is built on readily available commercial software packages. When building a system of this kind it is essential that the knowledge documentation and structure is 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.