AutoForm News
September 27, 2004:
Ford Germany Implements AutoForm Software for Part Feasibility During Pre-Program Phase
AutoForm has announced that Ford is the first automotive OEM
in Germany to implement its AutoForm-OneStep and AutoForm-DieDesigner
software solutions for stamping feasibility analysis early in
the product development cycle.
According to Christian J. Pomberg, Supervisor Forward Planning & Vehicle
Line Interface Stamping Engineering at Ford Germany: “Our
department is responsible for the planning and procurement of
robust and efficient auto body tools for our new products. With
AutoForm software solutions we are able to determine at an early
stage the feasibility of the stampings taking into account quality
criteria, design goals and state-of-the-art materials. A positive
feasibility analysis allows us to then start process planning.
Our goals are to minimize risk, to reduce tooling development
costs during the entire product life cycle, and to strictly adhere
to or even shorten delivery dates. This is our contribution to
Ford’s Computer Aided Manufacturing Strategy.“
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AutoForm-OneStep simulation result
of a hood inner panel |
In 1998, Ford Germany obtained an initial AutoForm test license
for evaluation purposes. The following year, AutoForm software
won a Ford benchmark comparison based on its advantages: good price-performance
ratio, user friendly interface, relatively short computation times
and reliable predictions of tryout results using simulations.
Today, Ford Germany uses a variety of AutoForm software modules
during different phases of the vehicle development process:
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‘OneStep‘ and ‘DieDesigner‘ modules
are used by feasibility experts during the pre-program phase
for stamping feasibility checks (newest application);
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‘OneStep‘ and ‘DieDesigner‘ modules
are then used for advanced project planning and initial tooling
development; and
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‘Incremental‘ and ‘DieDesigner‘ modules
are used for subsequent process planning of the stamping
operations. In addition, material planners use the ‘Nest‘ module
for optimized nesting of blanks during the process layout phase.
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The number of AutoForm seats at Ford Germany is planned to increase
further.
Engineering contractors who work with Ford Germany are required
to submit simulations of their process layouts in order to do business
with the company. Therefore, all of Ford Germany’s deep drawn
parts, whether developed in-house or externally, are validated
through stamping process simulations.
Ford’s feedback regarding their applications of AutoForm
software is positive. According to Christian J. Pomberg, “We
are very satisfied with the AutoForm software modules. They address
our manufacturing issues and deliver fast and reliable answers.”
Press Release [pdf - 87 KB],
Image
Contact:
Dr. Markus Thomma
Director of Marketing
AutoForm Engineering GmbH
Technoparkstrasse 1
CH-8005 Zurich
Switzerland
Tel |
+41 43 444 6161 |
Fax |
+41 43 444 6162 |
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