Eliminating Scrap in Sheet Metal Stamping Production: In-Line Process Control Anchored in Smart Engineering

Insights into the digital execution of this approach, starting from early product design, through process development, all the way to validation/certification.

Dr. Kidambi Kannan, technical specialist at AutoForm Engineering USA discusses Eliminating Scrap in Sheet Metal Stamping Production: In-Line Process Control Anchored in Smart Engineering.

Stamping lines generate scrap when production conditions slide outside the “process window” that the line has been tuned to run within: ranges of tonnage, material, gage, lubrication, blank positioning, etc. The unfortunate reality is that not all of these parameters are sufficiently controllable, and so are not easy to nudge back into the “process window”. When this happens, even the most sophisticated in-line data acquisition and process control/artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are incapable of bringing production outcomes into quality compliance without compromising part quality or piece cost: AI and control algorithms simply cannot override basic laws of mechanics and material behavior. Smart Engineering is a systematic approach to engineering a process not just towards narrow quality metrics, but one that is capable of operating within as wide a process window as can be afforded in the balance between cost-quality-timing imperatives. This presentation provides insights into the digital execution of this approach, starting from early product design, through process development, all the way to validation/certification of its true “potential” in producing quality compliant stampings.