FOCUS ON PRODUCTIVITY
ZERO-DEFECTS PRODUCTION
“ Cutting-edge research is boosting wide usage of high-strength sheet materials for value-added products .”
The FormPlanet project aims to drive the sheet metal forming industry towards zero-defects production and the optimisation of sheet material development , production and performance .
By
Eurecat Technology Centre Sheet metal component production line .
High-strength sheet materials , such as advanced high-strength steels ( AHSS ) or high-strength aluminium alloys , are fundamental for the development of new lightweight concepts in sectors such as transport ; machinery ; household appliances ; energy and chemical products , among others . These materials are characterised by their unique mechanical properties , combining high strength and excellent impact performance , which make them especially suitable for structural and safety-related automotive body parts .
However , they have also introduced new challenges , relating to their cracking susceptibility , to sheet metal stampers and components manufacturers . Because of their limited ductility , high-strength sheet materials are more prone to the occurrence of cracks during cold forming ( edge-cracking ) or under impact conditions .
Limitations of the processes currently used in metal forming cause productivity losses due to defects resulting in limited formability , inaccurate quality assessment or cracks . These cannot be predicted in the product design stage using traditional experimental or computational approaches .
The FormPlanet project
“ Increasing the use of high-strength metals in the sheet metal forming industry has introduced new technological hurdles to the sector . Open challenges can be tackled with the development of new materials and forming processes , but advanced material characterisation and modelling methodologies are needed to fully exploit the potential of these innovations ,” explained Daniel Casellas , Scientific Director , Eurecat .
Fracture Toughness testing at Eurecat facilities .
This has been the main focus of the FormPlanet project , which aims to boost wide usage of high-strength sheet materials for high valueadded products in different applications . The FormPlanet consortium tackled forthcoming challenges in formability and part quality assessment for the prevention of production losses when processing high-performance and high-strength sheet parts and materials .
The consortium includes three research centres ( Eurecat , Fraunhofer IWU and COMTES FHT ); two universities ( Lulea University of Technology and University of
Limitations of the processes currently used in metal forming cause productivity losses
Pisa ); three companies ( LETOMEC , Ansys and APPLUS -LGAI Technological Centre , SA ); eight industrial enterprises ( CRF - Stellantis , ArcelorMittal , Arania , Estamp , Arcelik , ALUDIUM , AP & T and Lamera ) and UNE as the standardisation body .
“ Our main goal has been to respond to challenges faced by the sheet metal industry when manufacturing high-performance metal parts using new high-strength materials ,” Daniel Casellas explained .
For three years , FormPlanet , coordinated by Eurecat Technology Centre , has addressed the need to obtain crucial material properties to understand sheet formability and predict part performance in service . With a mission to foster the advancement of the sheet metal-
22 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR March 2022