AutoForm News

September 29, 2009

Real Pilot Modeling for Progressive Die Stamping in AutoForm^plus R1

AutoForm Engineering GmbH, the leading supplier of software solutions for the sheet metal forming industry, has developed a new innovative function for progressive die stamping – AutoForm^plus R1 provides a physical model for pilots. Pilots play an important role in progressive die stamping for strip positioning.

Pilots play an important role in progressive die stamping for strip positioning.

Metal stamping companies are faced with today’s quickly changing and increasingly competitive market place, which demands a variety of innovative and high quality stamping products. At the same time, cost reduction and ever shorter delivery times are imperative. Progressive die stamping meets these requirements and is widely used in various industries, such as automotive, electronics and appliances.

Pilots play an important role in progressive die stamping – they fix the strip into an appropriate position and maintain control over the strip. In addition, they are essential for precise sheet positioning during toolclosing and drawing operations in transfer dies. In its constant efforts to provide users with the best solutions, AutoForm has developed a new physical model to simulate pilots. This model can realistically simulate the contact, separation, sliding and rotation of the sheet around the pilots. Pilots can be defined not only by their position but also by their dimensions, such as radius and height. This new function, already incorporated into AutoForm^plus R1, brings a new level of accuracy to AutoForm users who work in the field of progressive die stamping.