ISMR SAYS

“Automotive trends currently favourlighter, high-strength materials whichplace greater demands on forming

tools and simulation software”

:

INTERNATIONAL SHEET METAL REVIEW_NOVEMBER•DECEMBER 200934

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www.sheetmetalplus.com

AN INTEGRATEDAPPROACH

ISMR: How have you been affected by theglobal economic slowdown and when do youfeel markets will improve?

MT: I expect to see an improvement in marketsby the end of next year - my belief is thatautomotive OEMs will pick up first, as they start todevelop new cars or re-animate automotiveprojects, but this will take time to filter through thesupply chain. There are already signs ofimprovement - the financial industry has alreadypicked up, some banks are already making profitsand giving out bonuses. The automotive industrywill follow. However, we have also, tragically, seena lot of automotive industry knowledge seep awayas tool and die shops have closed down in therecession or staff have been laid off. The crisis has hit AutoForm itself in phases,

since our customers include automotive OEMs aswell as suppliers, but also engineering serviceproviders and steel suppliers. They are not allaffected at the same time. However, of course,we also feel the crisis. As a consequence, we areholding off on investments and hiring fewer newstaff members than usual. What has remainedunchanged, however, is that approximately onethird of our budget continues to be spent onresearch and development. There is a great dealof innovation in new technologies and much ishappening in our field.

ISMR: How can companies successfullyposition themselves for the future?

MT: Looking worldwide, some companies outthere still have structural and technologyproblems. Some companies simply did not do

their homework for many yearsand have portfolios that includethe wrong products and old or out-of-date technologies, or they haveinefficient corporate/internalstructures, and these companies willstruggle to be successful in this veryharsh environment. The question is:will they be able to update theirprocesses and adapt their productsthemselves more competitively forthe future?

ISMR: What challenges, in yourview, facing metal formers andmetal fabricators today?

MT: When it comes to designing a product anddefining its manufacturing concept, one of thethings missing in the sheet metal industry iscomprehensive digital process planning. Thecomprehensive aspect and approach just isn’tthere. For a specific part, assembly or group, youwant to know the exact design to choose, the kindof production method to apply to achieve youreconomic and quality goals and timelines in thebest way possible. Whatever you do, focusing on

just one aspect is not the right approach. A moreintegrated approach, that takes into account all theparameters and goals (ie quality, cost, lead times,function - what we call ‘the four dimensions’) andhow they affect each other is, in my view, the rightapproach. You need to look at this in terms of theentire lifetime of the product - a long term designphilosophy, in other words. We are supporting ourcustomers in such a multi-dimensional approachwith AutoFormplus.In terms of challenges, our customers also face

Top Right: AutoForm-OneStep isintegrated in CATIA V5 as a so-called workbench and can beaccessed at the push of a button.

Bottom Right: The results of theAutoForm feasibility assessmentare available to the user in theCATIA-tree structure.

Left: Dr. Markus Thomma, Corporate Marketing Director ofAutoForm Engineering GmbH: “Our focus clearly remains on ourcore competence, sheet metal forming. We strive to rank among

the top leaders in this sector.”

process engineering. Springback is verydependent upon fluctuations in production - smallvariations in material properties or productionprocesses (positioning of the blank etc.) cancause springback problems. Manufacturers needto ensure that processes are robust so that thesevariances are just a minor influence on theoverall product quality.

ISMR: You recently introduced a newproduct line called AutoFormplus. Whattarget groups is this new software aimed atand what is your philosophy behind it?

MT: With the introduction ofAutoFormplus, we aim to give

companies in the sheet metalforming industry a better

understanding ofComprehensive DigitalProcess Planning. This

multidimensional approach

environmental problems and are under pressureto lower costs. Reducing the weight of the car andoptimising the material consumption of the BIW(body in white) is one way, at least, of achievingthis. This won’t fully solve the problem for them inthe long term but we can certainly help them toachieve their weight reduction and materialconsumption goals. Twenty-five years ago, BIWwas produced in mild steel. Today, cars are beingmade from ultra-high strength material, highstrength steel, aluminium, etc. As soon as you tryto benefit from these materials or apply newtechnologies, such as hot forming, you have touse simulation technologies.Quality requirements have also greatly

increased - another customer challenge. Today’scars demand greater levels ofquality and issues such asspringback need to bedealt with in

INTERNATIONAL SHEET METAL REVIEW_NOVEMBER•DECEMBER 2009 35

has great potential for sheet metal forming.Through state-of-the-art technology, we cover theentire “sheet metal” process chain and ensurecontinuity. Our focus clearly remains on our corecompetence, sheet metal forming. We strive torank among the top leaders in this sector.

ISMR: What is this multidimensionalapproach like in detail?

MT: When designing stamping processes, thequality of the part has been the primary focus upuntil now i.e. simulation should identify possiblecracks, wrinkles or surface defects. However, wesee further stamping part requirements which need

to be balanced. These concern not only the qualitybut also the function of the stamped part. This isoften almost unalterable, as for example with crashcharacteristics which the part must fulfil or simplythe geometry, or rather the available space.Sometimes compromises are necessary to make itpossible to produce the part at all. Function is, so tospeak, a second aspect in addition to quality. Afurther aspect is cost since, in practice, the targetcosts of a part are often determined very early on -even before the geometry. And we see a fourthaspect as the time expenditure for the tryout andramp-up. A part must now be available faster thanever before. In a nutshell: a customer is successfulwhen a part is brought onto the market rapidly, atlow cost and with the best possible quality.

ISMR: Bringing quality parts at low total costonto the market rapidly, that actually soundssimple and logical ...

MT: ... but quite difficult. Part development, costplanning, process engineering and productionrepresent completely different disciplines withtheir own interfaces, but are all involved inachieving the objective.

www.sheetmetalplus.com

Above: Comprehensive Digital Process Planning assesses various dimensions such as stampingfeasibility and costs at a very early point in time. In this way, impasses and difficulties which are typicallyidentified much later can be avoided early on.

Right: Tryout is supported by AutoForm-Sigma byslightly changing the parameters such as, forexample, the position of the blank or draw beads andthe user receives a description of the change to thepart in seconds.

Left: The qualitative assessment is mostly based on feasibility, dimensional accuracy and

surface quality (from left to right).

INTERNATIONAL SHEET METAL REVIEW_NOVEMBER•DECEMBER 200936

ISMR: And how do you help your customersto overcome these challenges?

MT: The goal of AutoForm Engineering is toprovide a tool which links together the fouraspects/dimensions of process design, is fullyintegrated and which continuously evaluatesthese dimensions.

ISMR: You are regarded as an innovationleader. What strategies do you followalongside innovative leadership?

MT:There is a great deal of expertise behindAutoFormplus. It involves analyzing and modellingthe interrelated processes of sheet metal formingto obtain a relatively easy-to-apply softwaresystem at the end. Our experts must understandthe sheet metal forming process inside and out -bringing people to this point is a long-terminvestment. We are convinced that this will pay off,particularly in times of crisis.One of our explicit strategic goals is sustainable

customer relations. “Sell and Forget” is not the waywe conduct business. AutoForm software istherefore not sold, but rather leased. In this way,customers can make fresh decisions forthemselves each year.

ISMR: What benefit do your customers havefrom AutoForm software in the currentdifficult business environment?

MT: Despite the crisis our opinion is: now morethan ever since, in any case, there is no wayaround simulation. When, for example, a toolmaker applies AutoForm software today, he startssaving on costs tomorrow, since promisingleverage in product development can be adjustedearlier, long before money is spent on correctionloops. Compared to the software investment,these costs are in fact consistently higher. Inaddition, expertise regarding processesincreases. Trial and error does not result in any

serious costs. Those who decide toinvest in new technologies today willemerge from the crisis stronger

than before.

ISMR: The “cost” issue ishigh priority: how can yousupport your customers inconnection with this?

MT: AutoForm has a solution for thecalculation of tool and material costs:AutoForm-CostCalculator can reliably identify costdrivers. It allows customers to recognize thepossible savings potential in tools. We work onthe basis of part CAD data and, in this way,prevent cost estimates based solely onexperience with reference parts.

ISMR: This is a new approach. What is next?

MT: Development in the area of calculations isheaded towards production costs. The design ofrobust processes is absolutely necessary for this.AutoForm-Sigma enables the airtight collection ofinformation. Robust processes enormouslyincrease the ability to plan as well. Whenassessing costs, time expenditure plays animportant role. Less expenditure, for example, intryout and ramp-up offer not only financial benefitsbut also allow for an early market entry.

ISMR: This all sounds realistically plausible.Do companies practice this comprehensiveapproach?

MT: No, there is room for improvement. This isnot due to lack of insight on the part of thecustomer; in fact, it is organizational interfaceswhich cause the disruption of continuity. Forexample, departments responsible for costs andquality are to a great extent out of touch with oneanother in many companies. Or, take the questionof wear protection which is actually only of interestto the stamping plant. But, AutoForm-DieAdvisercould offer answers for suitable tool design oroptimal coating already in the design phase.What is more - even if the potential has beenidentified, an integrated tool is missing. We aim to

change this with AutoFormplus. Customersare now able to first make substantiated

calculations on what a particularquality demand will cost, forexample, in an extreme case,

when reducing the clearance of an automobile byhalf a millimetre.

ISMR: How do you plan to lead yourcustomers to adapt to an integrated approach?

MT: For us, extensive user support is also a partof our offer. Therefore, we have a powerfulconsulting team whose members know ourcustomers’ processes and their business. In thisway we ensure that software solutions areeffectively utilised to their full extent and areprofitable.

ISMR: In closing, let’s take a look at thefuture: What potential do you see for yoursoftware?

MT: The trend lies in fuel-efficient automobilemodels which must be put onto the marketquickly. Weight plays a decisive role in fuelefficiency. This requires the use of lighter, high-strength materials, which place great demands onforming tools. These demands can only be metwith sophisticated simulations, such as the oneswe provide.

Dr Thomma, thank you very much.

www.sheetmetalplus.com

Right: The new product lineAutoFormplus is aimed at

Comprehensive Digital ProcessPlanning, a multidimensionalapproach which considers

function and quality as well aslead time and costs.

The robustness of processes is represented directly on the sheet-metal part by process capability (cpk).

CONTACTDr. Markus ThommaCorporate Marketing DirectorAutoForm Engineering GmbHSwitzerland

Phone: +41 43 444 61 61Email:markus.thomma@autoform.chWebsite: www.autoform.com

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