INDUSTRY NEWS
Lightweight innovation
A strong finish
A positive mood prevailed at DeburringEXPO , which was held as an on-site trade fair from 12-14 October 2021 . Most of the 1100 expert visitors came to the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre in Germany with clear aims , with some bringing sample parts or drawings , and a great need for information .
“ This resulted in excellent contacts , valuable RFQs and interesting projects for almost all of the 105 exhibiting companies . Roughly 50 % of the expert visitors took advantage of the opportunity to gather information about current trends , the latest developments and best practice solutions in deburring and the production of precision finishes at the specialist forum ,” the event organiser told ISMR .
“ As expected , fewer visitors attended the trade fair this year than in previous years , but the quality was very good . Visitors are coming to our booth from widely differing industries with very specific tasks and projects ,” explained Michael Striebe , sales manager for barrel finishing technology at Rösler Oberflächen GmbH .
The best represented sectors , from a visitor standpoint , included machinery and equipment manufacturing ; the automotive industry ; medical technology ; metalworking and metal processing ; hydraulics ; tool and mould-making as well as aviation and aerospace .
The simultaneously interpreted ( German <> English ) presentations held at the expert forum on various topics related to deburring and surface finishing . Around 504 participants took advantage of the opportunity to enhance their knowledge .
The next DeburringEXPO will be held at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre in Germany from 10-12 October 2023 . n
. deburring-expo . de award for AutoForm
Software specialist AutoForm has won robust process in the most systematic way this year ’ s ‘ Leading Lightweight Enterprise to deliver quality parts ‘ right first time ’. This Innovation Award ’ for enabling light- methodology is one of the crucial building weighting of car bodies . Its digital process blocks to achieve industry 4.0 in stamping model and ‘ robust springback compensation and body-in-white ,” it told ISMR . methodology ’ helped to achieve a reduction The awarded application project was of 14kg in weight and 42k tons of CO 2 for for PSA , which applied aluminium instead one hood component alone in a recent of mild steel for the inner and outer hood project in China in its premium model DS X83 , produced
China has committed to reach carbon in China . This reduces the weight of this peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by component by 14.21kg and generates an 2060 and set ambitious targets for the estimated 42k tons of CO 2 savings over the development of electric vehicles ( EVs ) and lifecycle of this car . To capture this potential , fuel-efficient vehicles . The 13th Five-Year tool supplier Push Mould from Chengdu Plan promotes automotive lightweighting applied AutoForm ’ s methodology for these as one core technology under the electric aluminium hood panels . Based on the digital mobility and intelligent manufacturing pillars process model in the AutoForm software , of the “ Made in China 2025 ” programme . the engineering team could predict strong A 10 % reduction in vehicle weight provides springback of 3-4mm and managed to a 6-8 % improvement in fuel economy for compensate for it in the virtual phase . gasoline vehicles and a 14 % range extension “ As a result , this project delivered quality for electric vehicles . Lightweight materials panels right in the first physical tryout are expected to decrease vehicle weight by loops that were inside geometric tolerance 20 % in 2025 and by 35 % in 2030 . and with flawless surface quality ,” said “ Car body engineering and manufacturing AutoForm . requires process excellence to deliver
Twelve winners were selected in seven lightweight and high crash safety at low categories out of over 2,000 applications costs within ever-shorter development for this year ’ s 7th IALTA China Green Auto cycles . Aluminium offers 20-40 % lightweight Lightweight Technology Innovation Awards . potential compared to mild steel and is The awards were handed over during the therefore applied most widely . However , Global New Energy Vehicle Development aluminium ’ s limited formability , stronger and Lightweight Innovation Summit as springback behaviour and softer consistency part of the 13th International New Energy make it difficult to reach robust production Automotive Technology and Lightweight within geometric tolerance and high surface Materials & Intelligent Equipment Exhibition quality . Today , most Chinese automakers 2021 in Shanghai in June 2021 . and tool suppliers require over ten tryout SAIC Volkswagen introduced its and quality loops for aluminium skin panels lightweight strategy for the latest EV models before reaching robust production . This from the ID series at this summit . The ID wastes several months of ramp-up time and EV series uses aluminium for the battery makes aluminium prohibitively expensive for case and SAIC Volkswagen uses AutoForm wider application ,” explained AutoForm . software to ensure feasibility and quality of
AutoForm ’ s robust springback these lightweight components . compensation methodology delivers a robust Global investment firm Carlyle recently manufacturing process for high geometric agreed to acquire AutoForm AG from Astorg , and surface quality . First , engineers build the global private equity firm and majority a digital process model in the AutoForm shareholder since 2016 . Carlyle will support software to predict and solve issues in AutoForm in accelerating its growth plan the virtual phase . A stochastic analysis through the development of its existing considers variables , to identify and validate a software platform and through acquisitions , robust process window . Second , AutoForm as well as investing in the company ’ s software provides guidance to the shop floor product suite and commercial operations . when manufacturing the physical tools and AutoForm will continue to operate setting up the real-world production process independently in the market . n according to its digital process twin .
14 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR November 2021