Application of integrated formability analysis in designing die-face of automobile panel drawing dies

The die-face design of panel drawing dies is a creative process design procedure for a 3D panel product model. It includes determining the pressing direction, and designing the addendum, the binder surface, the drawbead, the die round, etc. The main goal of die-face design is to satisfy the need of drawing formability, but inherent in panel drawing forming are complicated mechanical problems. Among these are geometric non-linearity, material non-linearity and the non-linearity of process boundaries. Every factor affects every other factor to multiply the difficulties. Accordingly, the traditional experiential method and single computer-aided technology are inadequate. However, integrated formability analysis can solve these problems. Formability analysis is first done geometrically with 3D CAD software. Then two-stage fuzzy synthetic evaluation tests of die-face design are conducted. Finally, sequential FEM numerical simulation, considering synthetically geometry, material, process and other factors, completes the task. Thus integrated formability analysis makes full use of 3D CAD software, expert experience and FEM numerical simulation, and evolves progressively from simplicity to complexity, to satisfy the demands of the drawing process.