Application of an integrated RE/RP/CAD/CAE/CAM system for magnesium alloy shell of mobile phone

Magnesium alloys are becoming more and more popular because of their high specific strength, light specific weight, recyclability, and ability to shield electromagnetic shocks. This paper introduces an integrated RE/RP/CAD/CAE/CAM system for constructing a magnesium-alloy AZ31 shell for the mobile phone and developing related progressive dies using concurrent engineering (CE). This integrated system uses an optical scanning system (ATOS), a rapid prototyping machine (SOUP600), a CAD/CAE/CAM software (CATIA), a sheet metal forming simulation software (DYNAFORM), a CAM software (POWERMILL), and a die design knowledge-based system as the operating platform. The die design knowledge-based system includes die design procedures, die design standards, design criteria, and empirical formulae. Our system has been used successfully in constructing a magnesium-alloy AZ31 shell for the mobile phone and developing related progressive die. Since the entire development process shares the same 3D geometric model, the various process of developing dies can be performed in parallel. Our system can greatly reduce the development time and cost, improve the product quality, and push products into the market in a relatively short time.