1) The engineering team at GNS North America used die design software to help optimize parts for energy absorption and weight targets by accurately simulating formability.
2) The software allowed the team to calculate forming outcomes quickly and make microadjustments to the press closing speed and blank trim lines.
3) After gaining confidence in the software's predictions through testing, the team was able to eliminate the need for expensive laser trimming on one high-volume component through an iterative design and simulation process.
1) The engineering team at GNS North America used die design software to help optimize parts for energy absorption and weight targets by accurately simulating formability.
2) The software allowed the team to calculate forming outcomes quickly and make microadjustments to the press closing speed and blank trim lines.
3) After gaining confidence in the software's predictions through testing, the team was able to eliminate the need for expensive laser trimming on one high-volume component through an iterative design and simulation process.
1) The engineering team at GNS North America used die design software to help optimize parts for energy absorption and weight targets by accurately simulating formability.
2) The software allowed the team to calculate forming outcomes quickly and make microadjustments to the press closing speed and blank trim lines.
3) After gaining confidence in the software's predictions through testing, the team was able to eliminate the need for expensive laser trimming on one high-volume component through an iterative design and simulation process.
1) The engineering team at GNS North America used die design software to help optimize parts for energy absorption and weight targets by accurately simulating formability.
2) The software allowed the team to calculate forming outcomes quickly and make microadjustments to the press closing speed and blank trim lines.
3) After gaining confidence in the software's predictions through testing, the team was able to eliminate the need for expensive laser trimming on one high-volume component through an iterative design and simulation process.
Software simulation allows stamper to calculate formability accurately
G NS North America is a Tier 1 suppli- thickness-reduction initiatives. This Three processes currently used that er of press-hardened steel (PHS), or combination introduces unique chal- allow for these tailored designs to be hot-stamped; cold-stamped compo- lenges to tooling and process develop- manufactured are tailor welded blanks, nents; and welded subassemblies for the ment. The industry is constantly striving tailor rolled blanks, and tailor patch automotive industry. for weight savings, driving GNS North blanks. Founded in Korea in 1971, the com- America to hot-stamp more parts out of Tailor welded blanks (TWB) are made pany employs approximately 550 people PHS, or boron-manganese steel (see Hot- from individual steel sheets of different and operates 16 active PHS stamp lines, stamped Steel Primer sidebar). thicknesses, strengths, and coatings that 10 cold-stamp lines, and various assem- Hot stamping produces components are laser-welded together. This process bly and weld cells. Its plants are in Hol- that are residual stress-free, possessing positions the material with the right land, Mich., Canton, Mich., and San Jose both high yield and tensile strength prop- properties in the right places (see Fig- Iturbide, Mexico. erties. However, because of the resulting ure 1). The engineering team at GNS North hardness, tight-tolerance hole and slot Tailor rolled blanks (TRB) are sheets America experienced challenges with features and trim edges have to be laser- with a continuous transition from one producing parts to achieve energy cut in a secondary process, which can be thickness to another. They are made on absorption and weight targets. expensive. a cold rolling mill. Tailored Blanks. Customers also Tailor patch blanks are 2D blanks Challenges With PHS, demand components with optimized that are locally reinforced by attaching Tailored Blanks energy absorption performance for safe- smaller 2D blanks (patches) by either GNS’s daily production and quoting ty goals as well as weight targets. These spot or laser welding (see Figure 2). challenges were: requirements have driven GNS designs The patches create zones of extra thick- PHS Parts. Components are becom- to evolve into components with multi- ness on the blank. ing more complex, both in their geom- material thickness and even multimate- They require a unique tool design, etry and because of weight-saving rial types. spot weld positioning, and material
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thickness deltas. The designer must lation tool and gained confidence in the consider this thickness variation and correlation between the physical and model transition zones into the die cavi- predicted results, the software provided ty surfaces where the material thickness valuable insight for all operations. transitions from double material thick- ness back to single thickness. Locations Putting the Software to Work of the spot welds that adhere the patch- The GNS North America team produces es to the blank are important to prevent a high-volume body-in-white compo- part failure as well as failure of the spot nent at its Canton and San Jose Iturbide welds themselves. facilities for a North American OEM. The team used multiple tools from the Software Simulation Allows simulation software suite to successful- Accurate Formability ly eliminate problems and challenges in Calculations producing the part. These challenges drove the need for sim- When reviewing the initial simula- ulation tools to help the GNS North tion, the designers could see the pre- America design and development teams dicted thickening and thinning of the confidently predict component forma- formed component. At this point the bility when designing the process and team needed to make decisions on how tooling. to improve the process—whether the Following competitive evaluations, design process needed to change, such Figure 1 the stamping manufacturer chose to as adding a binder and making it a draw lease the AutoForm Simulation Soft- process instead of a crash form. Anoth- Tailor welded blanks (TWB) are made from ware Suite as its process predictive er approach the team considered was individual steel sheets of different thicknesses, strengths, and coatings that are laser welded tool. Then the engineering team could to combine the crash form and draw together. This process positions the material calculate formability outcomes quick- options by adding pads to the crash with the right properties in the right places. ly and accurately. GNS also used the form to control specific areas of the Images: AutoForm Engineering GmbH simulation software to make microad- sheet to either reduce or promote mate- justments to the press closing speed. rial flow. These adjustments could be The team changed the blank trim lines made early in the design process. as well. Eliminating Laser Trimming. The Experienced operators at the plant team initiated the process by using the encountered a low learning curve with software’s iterative features to optimize the software. Those unfamiliar with the placement and timing of the required software received comprehensive basic pads and binders. This iterative training, and some took advanced train- approach allowed for multiple simula- ing for hot stamping. tion attempts to be completed in rapid Once the team understood the simu- succession.
Figure 3 Figure 2 Generic image of a single-hat section side impact beam. Note that the part has a fully developed outside Representation of a patchwork blank. perimeter trim and hole and slot features.
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Next it used the iterative trim devel- nity to maximize equipment processing optimizations, the team recognized an opment capability of the simulation efficiencies. It also allowed more of the additional opportunity to incorporate software to generate the optimized 2D part to be fully developed so that less in-die pierce technology. Though add- blank profile that would adhere to the laser trimming was required. The man- ing complexity to the PHS die set, this customer’s required trim edge tolerance. ufacturer then shared that information hardware allowed for the critical locating The software analyzed the sheet bound- with its customers to maintain their com- datum hole and slot features to be added ary to “best fit” the target boundary and petitive edge. during the hot-stamping operation and made automatic adjustments to achieve GNS developed the trim lines on most avoid the secondary laser operation. a finish boundary that fell within the side impact beams using the software Tailored Patch Blank. In addition, defined profile tolerance. These itera- (see Figure 3). the OEM required that the component tion loops gave the stamper an opportu- In-die Piercing. During these process weight be minimized and use a tai-
Hot-stamped Steel Primer
Hot-stamped parts are formed from press-hardenable steel (PHS). The PHS contains 0.001% to 0.005% boron carbon/ manganese. It is most commonly known as 22MnB5. The preprocessed material has mechanical properties similar to the widely used HSLA 300 and 340 grade steels, Image 1 with a tensile strength around 400 MPa and 600 MPa for PHS process steps. The blank is transported from the destacker to 1500 grades. However, when the 22MnB5 is thermome- the oven where it is heated to 950 degrees C. The blank retains heat chanically processed, its microstructure changes, resulting as it is transferred into the die in the press. The press is activated, in a martensitic microstructure. This change is commonly forming the blank into its final part shape. The formed part is indirectly referred to as a phase transformation. quenched using a water-cooled die set, which facilitates the transition In terms of the process, first the steel is heated to around of the materials’ microstructure from austenite to martensite. Formed 950 degrees C and then transported from the furnace to parts are laser-trimmed, if necessary. the die and press with robotic end-of-arm tooling. Once the blanks are properly located in the die cavities, the press part that can have a finished tensile strength of up to 2,000 cycles and the upper die half closes on the lower die half MPa. If all this is done accurately, parts can be produced to form the part to its final shape and dwell, while special within 100% tolerance and without springback. water-cooling channels in the die forms rapidly extract the Image 2 shows the finished martensitic steel’s tensile heat from the blanks (see Image 1). strength and elongation overlaid on other steels’ to visu- The combination of the high temperature and the rapid ally demonstrate the differences. This is done to achieve cooling transforms the material into a 100% martensitic weight targets while simultaneously retaining high-strength mechanical properties for overall performance. This unique material behavior is key for lightweighting safety cages, A pillars, and B pil- lars. This unique steel has been used in automotive applications since the early 1980s, starting with Volvo, and continues to become a preferred material selected for automotive impact and body- in-white components and subas- semblies.
Image 2 The chart shows typical strengths and elongations for common grades of steel and where the tailored and PHS fall within them.
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lored thickness blank. This would have required costly upfront development using traditional techniques. However, the team was able to apply its experience with the simulation software to expedite the optimization and suppress the cost. The GNS team used the software’s patch simulation capabilities to estab- lish patch-blank spot weld patterns. The spot welds that adhere the patches to the blank also had to be evaluated to ensure that their placement would not disrupt the needed material flow or fracture during the forming process. To set up the simulation, the team defined the number GNS used the simulation and location of spot welds. The results software to develop this tailor of this initial setup gave the team an patched rail component. opportunity to visualize the normal and tangential forces exerted on each spot weld during the forming process. These analytical results guided the team to pre- dict interfacial weld failure and revise the spot weld pattern to eliminate the unde- sired condition. The software’s graphical user interface gave the manufacturer time to schedule and process multiple simulations quick- ly, support the processing of large RFQs, study and fine-tune more challenging components, and develop blank profiles. Using the AutoForm-ThermoSolver, the team could see the dilatation that heat- GNS designed this body- ing the 22MnB5 material blanks caused. in-white component with It could study the effects of the transfer fully developed trim and time on the heated blanks from the oven in-die pierced datum hole to the tool, while referencing adherence and slot features. to the continuous cooling transforma- tion phase diagram, press forming, and quenching speeds. All of these tools gave the team information they could use to optimize their process pursuant to more efficient cycle times. Using the simulation software suite’s iterative optimization features, GNS North America now can achieve devel- oped trim edges and holes to initial cus- tomer quality requirements of 80% or greater for the first hits and buyoffs to support initial material required dates on both side impact beams and body-in- white components. This saves both time The GNS team used the and money related to expensive second- software’s iterative feature to ary laser operations, which the company develop the final door beam can pass through to its customers.S trim with table and to bring it 100% in tolerance.
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