Designers, manufacturers, and suppliers of connector pins are required to develop and validate the detailed steps involved in the manufacturing process as well as evaluate the costs of both the raw materials and the required tooling. Traditional methods rely on experience and rough estimates that can lead to lost revenue, overspending, missed delivery deadlines, or non-competitive bids on quoted jobs. A scientific and replicable approach that improves efficiency and reduces errors is needed to handle the number of new products being developed.
The virtual manufacturing and costing of connector pins solution eliminates design iterations by predicting manufacturability and cost of stamped components during their design, and by validating process and tooling geometry prior to building dies.
Eliminate costly iterations by predicting manufacturability and cost of stamped components during their design, and by validating process and tooling geometry prior to building dies.
Our approach
Feasibility Analysis & Cost Estimation
FormingSuite uses specialized tools to develop an accurate blank shape and to nest that blank onto a strip suitable for use in a progressive die. The resulting nest layout determines the amount of scrap that will be produced for each part and the total amount of raw material that will be required.
The part geometry and nest layout also lay the groundwork for establishing the method plan describing the actual step-by-step process that will be used to stamp the final part. Geometry features requiring specific tooling operations are identified and assigned to different stages in the progressive die. The method plan is then used to determine the dimensions of the complete tool set and, by applying specialized cost models, the estimated cost of the tooling can be determined.
Process Validation
Visi is a specialized CAD/CAM system that provides dedicated tools for quickly building a high-quality, 3D part geometry of the complete progressive die strip layout. Based on this strip layout, the complete die structure, assembly, and bill of materials can be designed and detailed, complete with standard components (die sets, springs, bushings, etc) and custom form blocks. Visi also provides powerful machining capabilities for building the tools.
Simufact Forming allows users to fully validate a new forming process in the virtual world. The complete manufacturing process is simulated including cutting, forming, swaging, coining, and trimming to determine the feasibility and to predict issues such as splitting, wrinkling, excessive thinning, or dimensional issues with the finished part. With the data provided by the software, tooling designs and process parameters can be adjusted and optimized to produce quality parts within tolerance. By measuring loads on tooling during forming, it is also possible to identify tool wear issues that would require frequent maintenance.
In Summary
The combination of FormingSuite, Visi and Simufact Forming provide a complete set of tools for efficiently planning, designing, and validating a complete manufacturing process, as well as accurately predicting the raw material cost, waste, and anticipated tooling costs. By validating the manufacturing process using simulation, designs can be verified and refined before tooling is built, reducing the time and labor required to prove out a new tool set and eliminating costly tooling design errors.
Products
© 2024 Hexagon AB and/or its subsidiaries