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Sheet Metal Part Design
SheetMetal Desktop and COPRA MetalBender: New features
COPRA MetalBender HVAC: Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology in 3D
SheetMetal Desktop: New homepage

data M Engineering
The Hexapod robot: Special-purpose machine design
Control system developed: Cooperation in a research project

data M live
ITA conference in Bilbao, Spain
Seminar in South Africa: COPRA RollForming at RETECO
1st International Partner Meeting: Partners in dialogue with data M

data M inside
Sales Partners: New partner in India
Cooperation: Dr. Jiying Liu, North China University of Technology
Opinions: Top Support and Reliable
data M in USA: data M Corporation founded

Now with higher precision

The decisive point for revising the well-established COPRA® RollScanner was our engineers’ requirement to develop a comprehensive and closed measuring device for roll tool analysis. The new generation of the COPRA® RollScanner was to be much more compact, even more easier to handle and if possible more precise than the predecessor version.

And this is exactly what we have achieved with the completely new design concept of the COPRA® RollScanner 200.

The main body of the previous model was made of steel, now it consists of a high precision granite base. The roll to be analyzed is now guided on a horizontally mounted linear track. The previous diffuse light source was replaced by telecentric illumination. Together with the camera it is guided vertically to the roll level. A compact aluminum body with a sliding door allows for mounting the rolls on the measuring slide and, acting as a light shutter, it protects the scan process against undesirable light reflections from outside.

In addition to its easy handling - the fully automatic scan process needs just a few parameters such as roll or stand no. - the COPRA® RollScanner presents another outstanding feature: optical resolution of 4 µm with a precision of 0.01 mm.

Thus, the new COPRA® RollScanner becomes the ideal tool for the contactless measuring of rolls for tube welding and roll forming installations. It enables the user to create quality control routines adapted to a specific roll and to optimize production processes.

Design and Analysis your roll forming tasks

More and more customers and interested companies are asking us to provide special services such as design/development of new roll sets for roll forming sections. The analysis of existing shaping passes (the COPRA® RollScanner analyzes the geometry of existing roll tools) and their FEM-Analysis/Optimization are major points of interest.

data M has provided these services for several years already.

A design created by the COPRA® Roll Design Service comprises a feasibility check, design and conception of the flower, longitudinal strain check, roll design and, of course, dimensioning of single roll drawings and the assembly plan, DXF-files and so on.

Is your design department currently facing a resource bottleneck or do you possibly have to design a complicated profile? Just contact us for an individual offer and let us show you another possibility of how to use your capacities even better.

Parametric design of round tube roll tools

Actually one should think that designing a set of roll tools for a round-shaped tube is a simple thing. Since the material always has to be shaped to the same final form the individual working steps should always be the same.

Far from true: designers are constantly facing new challenges generated by the latest requirements from the field of lightweight construction — increasingly thinner walls made out of materials with increasingly higher resistance. And a set of roll tools is not cheap either.

If it does not work, this trial will cost several ten thousand Euros — without taking into account additional expenses for modifying and running the roll tool set.

These circumstances require professional solutions in the design and optimization of the tooling. In addition to a professional simulation, the designer should be equipped with a tool allowing for a quick and easy design of roll tools combined with a high level of flexibility in case of modifications. Only if adaptations can be made quickly and in a reliable way, is the designer able to implement e. g. simulation results. If, however, modifications are too time-consuming, there is a high risk that possible improvements to the design are not made as there is not enough time. The data M Tube Mill Roll Design assists the designer with a high-performance tool. In order to give the designer maximum flexibility, the tube mill is subdivided into 6 parts:

• Tube mill management
• Tube mill set-up
• Calculation of the flower
• Definition of machine parameters
• Definition of roll parameters
• Parametric modification functions

The Tube Mill Management database makes it possible to define the existing tool park and the dimensions produced with it.

New features make working with COPRA® RF even easier

COPRA® Roll Database
The roll database allows for saving and managing not only all new rolls designed but also already manufactured rolls. The method: design your flower and the matching rolls. Now you have to find out whether this roll or a very similar one is already on stock (which reduces manufacturing time and costs).

The database’s Find function allows the user to search the database very quickly and efficiently for this very roll. If your quick search is successful, you will save time and costs for one or the other roll. Just add all new rolls to the database and they will be available for the next design.

COPRA® Project Manager
The COPRA® Project Manager now offers a new option: "select project main directory". Now you can create several project main directories, which makes the database management even more easy and provides a clearer layout.

COPRA® Toolbars
All COPRA® functions now have toolbars, which means that you no longer have to work using the side menu, as each function now has an icon. Thus, working with the COPRA® Software will be even faster and clearer than before.

COPRA® Flower Technology
Many roll formers use downhill forming. However, it is not always easy to find a fix point for this way of constant withdrawal. Quite often, only the strategies "constant point of gravity" or "lower edge of profile" of the section folding point are selected. COPRA® now offers a new feature to identify any point of the profile and to accept it as fix point of unfolding, e.g. in the case of a so-called dovetail profile. The whole flower is thus unfolded with this fix point and there is no need to shift every individual pass during the design process.

COPRA® Rolls
Now it is possible to select any reference point in the function "modify driving diameter". You may as well change the driving diameter of the side rolls.

COPRA® Dimensioning
The absolute highlight is the new dimensioning module. With a few basic settings you can create individual roll drawings of a complete tooling immediately. The dimensioned rolls can now be placed automatically in a customer defined drawing frame. The title block is also completely updated automatically.

In the future, increasing costs for energy and continuously scarcer raw materials will require more complex and elaborated production processes and profile forms.

More and more profiles will be manufactured in the internal "Hydroforming" as this method allows you to produce a wide variety of profile shapes that we currently cannot imagine.

In order to develop such complicated products, the designer has to identify possible sources of errors at a very early stage, if possible before physically manufacturing the products, in order to integrate the necessary design adaptations already in the pre-manufacturing phase.

This insight led data M Software GmbH to develop the first real commercial simulation software available for roll forming, the COPRA® Finite Element Analysis (COPRA® FEA RF).

This software allows you to simulate and test the usability of a new set of rolls on screen and to modify it accordingly in case of too high inner material strain. The "virtual" tube mill checks the function of the complete set of rolls in a sort of test run — a crucial advantage for the user.

At the EuroBlech 2000 in Hanover (Germany), data M Software GmbH first presented this new software module. In close cooperation with our partner , the COPRA® FEA RF was specifically developed for the roll forming process. The software is particularly appropriate for use in machine manufactures, for designers and profile and tube manufacturers and is also within the financial reach of medium-sized companies.

Even in the era of "paperless offices" roll manufacturing needs dimensioning of drawings — a time consuming and monotonous task.

The COPRA® RollForm software has contained an automatic dimensioning feature for a long time but it could not be used in all fields of application. Just in time for the EuroBlech, data M Software GmbH has completely revised this program to offer even more efficient support in this area.

COPRA® Power Dimensioning is an extremely flexible software able to adapt to the specific demands of our customers. Once the user has selected a certain dimensioning strategy, all rolls will be dimensioned automatically using the same settings.

Defining the strategy is absolutely easy as a "Dimensioning Wizard" assists you. We did, however, not only improve dimensioning of single rolls — a variety of new features were added to the assembly plan dimensioning module.

COPRA® Power Dimensioning now also offers the option to automatically dimension the rolls in the assembly plan. This allows us to combine the high performance features of Single Roll Dimensioning and the paper saving option of Dimensioned Assembly Plans.

The real benefit for the user is to get rid of the time-consuming detail job. The gain in time can now be invested in developing a better forming process and roll design.

Design on customer request

Due to a special request of a customer — a challenge our team is always happy to accept — we had to check in-house whether COPRA® is able to design an extreme oval with trapezoidal bead, starting with shaping and reshaping of the welding pass via the calibration steps to the turks heads and towards the final profile.

This COPRA® client was more than enthusiastic about the features and versatility of our new COPRA® Tube Mill Roll Design program version. After defining the respective conditions and mill parameters, COPRA® delivered the complete set of roll tools: automatically, precisely and — due to the integrated parametric — the results are always reproducible!

data M supports dissertation

When I started to work on my dissertation at the company Linde + Pullman in Dil-lenburg (Germany) in December 1999 , my subject was: "Analysis of profile manufacturing methods using simulation software".

Via a test profile the two methods of profile manufacturing by roll forming and by drawing rings were supposed to be compared and analyzed regarding the issues "feasibility" and "economy of production". This analysis was based on data M Software’s simulation software packages COPRA® RollForm and COPRA® for Drawing Rings.

As we have successfully manufactured profile designs with the COPRA® RollForm software at Linde + Pullman and Linde + Wiemann for several years, all we needed was the Drawing Ring software module. After calling Mr. Freitag, managing director for development and support at data M, I was granted the free use of the required software for my dissertation.

While using the two programs, I gained relatively easy access to the problems of profile design. When creating the sequence of unfolding for the profile geometry I was able to visualize and optimize every single pass on the PC by evaluating and analyzing the information on stresses generated by the software. Thus, the software allows for an early detection and elimination of possible difficulties that might otherwise occur during the forming process.

The design modules of the software, such as Calculation of material width, Creation of profile flower, Tool design and Cut list — just to name a few - provide the designer with an easy, quick and precise project processing tool the results of which allow the customer to make pre-calculations at an early stage.

Whenever I faced questions during my dissertation, the data M system developers always accommodated my questions in a friendly and supportive way, thus helping me to overcome uncertainties by giving competent advice.

In summary I would like to emphasize that COPRA® programs are easy-to-handle tools for profile design. However, correct evaluation of the results requires a certain experience.

I would like to take this opportunity to particularly thank the entire data M team as their friendly support has greatly contributed to making my dissertation a success.

Thorsten Schäfer,

Linde + Pullman GmbH

COPRA® RF in the training

Tube manufacturer have an increasing demand of qualified training programs for CAD users, engineers and sales people.

In order to satisfy the demand of the TPA, Tube & Pipe Association International, to create an internet-based training program for roll designers and tube mill engineers, data M Software GmbH has granted the TPA one license for the COPRA® Tube Mill Roll Design Centers and one for the COPRA® Deformation Technology Module.

"data M’s design and simulation software enormously supports the TPA’s efforts to improve the training situation for specialists in tool design and tube manufacturing",

says Bud Graham, president of the Tube & Pipe Producing Council.

"The possibility of simulating the tube manufacturing process in a CAD system as a model opens an enormous range of potential for quality optimization and performance improvement of tube mills."

The new training plan

In order to give our customers the chance to optimize their use of our software programs, we are preparing a comprehensive training plan for 2001.

We are going to offer trainings for the COPRA® modules for profiles, tubes and trapezoidal sections in two levels: beginners and advanced users. Depending on the type of training, the maximum number of participants is limited to 5-10 people. Please register soon!

Furthermore, we will continue to offer customized trainings which are tailored to your specific needs. Please make use of this unique chance.

Since version 5 of Mechanical Desktop has been on the market, the by-pack of this software package contains a full version of the SheetMetal Desktop, our modular sheet metal design solution.

This joint initiative of Autodesk, the distributors Man and Machine and Computer 2000 was recently expanded to Spain, since in addition to Germany, Austria and Switzerland also Denmark, France and Italy are offering this bundle with a very positive feedback.

The parametric functions of the Sheet Metal Desktop can be expanded by activating additional satellites. Just click on the respective satellites button and get your authorization codes immediately.

4 satellite modules are available: "3D-Sheet", "Punching and Embossing", "3D-Boxes and Cases" and the satellite "HVAC" for construction of tubes and containers. Just in time for the CeBIT 2001, we have finished the SheetMetal Desktop and COPRA® MetalBender updates. The range of functions of both solutions has been enhanced conciderably: the user now has access to the features "OpenCorner", "Open Face" and "HVAC Free Contour".

The commands "OpenCorner" and "OpenFace" open corners and faces of closed profiles. If a sheet metal part is created via volume

circumscription and subsequent "shelling", the corners still have to be shaped in order to get a realistic and unfoldable part. The command "OpenCorner" allows to easily open these corners. The command "CloseCorner" allows you to create the desired corner shape subsequently. The command "OpenFace" allows to open a plane surface.

The command "HVAC Free Contour" allows to create a 3D-model of the transition between 2 contours (lines) in any location. After creating the 2 contours, the user just defines the parameters for the "material

thickness", "width of separation" and "division" in a new dialogue box. Afterwards, the 2 contours will be joined. The program then asks you to define the direction of creation for the sheet thickness (to the inside or to the outside) and the model is ready.

The powerful COPRA® MetalBender HVAC with new features

Today, 3D-design is nearly taken for granted. The same applies for the sheet metal bending industry. It is, however, necessary to generate manufacturing data from the designed models.

With its COPRA® MetalBender HVAC, data M provides the designer with a powerful tool for 3-dimensional design and cut calculation of connection pieces, transitions, branch pieces and other geometries. The program does not only create the 3D-model but also calculates the flat pattern required for manufacturing.

Choose between various possible approaches of defining the 3D-model. You may place the split gap at any position and take influence on the manufacturing precision by a user defined division of the bend areas. Default settings can be saved in the database. Slanted parts are easily defined by entering an angle.

The 3D-models you designed can later be edited with standard CAD-functions and their flat patterns can be recalculated. You can add additional bore holes and piercings which will be subsequently integrated in the flat pattern at the correct position. It is also possible to take the split method into account for calculating the flat pattern — i. e. whether the sheet metal part is punched or cut with a laser. When using a laser to cut the material, it is important for the contour to have a minimum of support points and a maximum of tangential transitions in order to reach maximum speed of cutting.

SheetMetal Desktop homepage

The modular sheet metal software 
has now got its own internet address

We have recently designed a separate homepage for all users and those interested in our modular high performance software package SheetMetal Desktop.

At www.sheet-metal-design. com you will not only find a detailed description of the high-performance features of the basic module and the four satellites, but also the latest news, price information and links to other data M solutions for the metal bending industry. Please also use the chance of registering your test version online.

Soon we will add to this website a dealer list, training dates and a FAQ-site.

data M Engineering is successful 
in special-purpose machine design

Parallel robot mechanism with 6 degrees of freedom

Conventional serial standard robots cannot be used for performing certain tasks such as handling heavy objects, as this would cause overloads on the base joints of the robot arm. A solution to this problem is a direct connection of the base and the final segment. This allows for a better distribution of the load. For this special field of application, data M Engineering GmbH has developed a parallel robot architecture being able to work with up to 6 degrees of freedom.

This so-called Hexapod mechanism is a complex mechatronic system with a mobile platform and a fix base. Both parts are interconnected via cinematically independent elements. Each of the two elements has two joints absorbing tensile and compressive forces.

This particular architecture makes it possible to design machines fulfilling all kinds of demands regarding load and dynamic range of motion — tailored to our customers’ needs.

The control system for this electrical high-precision motive technology runs on a Windows NT personal computer with data M’s HexaControl software. This results in a very low cost solution compared to its high performance. As the user interface is entirely independent from the basic control system we are able to customize the application and to adapt it to special purposes using programming tools such as Visual Basic and C++.

Parallel robots offer numerous advantages compared to serial robots:

• They work with higher precision as their design can be more rigid and errors in individual arm segments do not add up.
• They can transfer higher forces than serial robots with the same type of drive.
• Due to their lower inertia of masses they have a high dynamic and faster acceleration characteristics.
• Low consumption of material.
• Modular design as several identical components are used in the robot—advantage in case of series production.
• Comparatively low influence of manufacturing tolerances on the overall system precision.
• In the proximity of the fix base, drives can be flange-mounted to the mobile parts.
• Large choice of drives/gears as weight is of limited account.

The widely used COPRA® DecalApplicator was specifically developed for use in the ceramic industry and is based on the same technology.

Control system developed

Cooperation in a research project

Cold-rolled profiles are used in almost any technological area. The cross section of the components are mostly constant over the longitudinal axis.

Despite lacking a profitable way of production there is a wide spectrum of applications for barformed workpieces with a variable cross section over the length. The demand for such workpieces could increase considerably by offering a new production process.

The process is based on roll forming metal bands with a constant width or on shaped blanks, where the rolls are moved in the cross direction while profiling.

data M Engineering GmbH a subsidiary of data M Software GmbH, has designed a fitting control system spicifically for this test series.

It makes sure that — depending on the shaping direction and speed — the adjustable shaping rolls are correctly guided at the same moment. data M Engineering’s concept of flexible control has contributed essentially to the success of the project.

Systematic examinations in the PtU, the Institute for Production Technology and Forming Machines of the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, are now being carried out to determine appropriate process limits.

ITA conference in Bilbao, Spain

From October 24th to 26th, the ITA, International Tube Association, will hold a conference on "Management of Quality in the Tube Industry" in Bilbao, Spain. Renowned speakers from the USA, Asia and Europe will hold speeches that will be translated simultaneously into English and Spanish. TUBOS REUNIDOS SA, co-organizer of this conference, will offer visits to its own premises.

Albert Sedlmaier, Managing Director of data M Software GmbH, is a member of the ITA’s International and European Executive Management Board.

Seminar in South Africa

On May 23rd and 24th 2001 the 1st COPRA® RollForm seminar in South Africa will be held.

Mr. Albert Sedlmaier, Managing Director of data M Software GmbH, is going to visit South Africa at this time. The event is organized by RETECON, Kempton Park, Johannes-burg, data M’s longtime software partner.

We have already sent invitations to all companies with business activities in the field of roll forming.

The program comprises 4 seminars lasting half a day, each starting with a brief introduction into roll forming before passing over to a presentation of the data M Software solution for the roll forming industry. A major part of the time will be dedicated to Questions & Answers so as to give the participants sufficient opportunity to get answers and solution perspectives for their particular questions.

RETECON has been in contact with data M Software GmbH since 1994 and is our COPRA® dealer for South Africa.

With the COPRA® Rollform seminar we intend to introduce the latest data M software know-how into the South African market and to present to the participants the wide range of applications they will be able to use with the COPRA® RollForm Software.

Partners in dialogue with data M

In early December 2000, COPRA® agents and dealers from all over the world met at the data M Software and Engineering GmbH offcies: from Great Britain, Slovenia, Thailand, China, Brasil and Korea.

The event was mostly dedicated to the technical update of data M dealers and offered many opportunities for intensive exchange of experiences. We plan to integrate these ideas in the near future into our COPRA® Rollform software.

The unanimous resume of our dealers was that our customers do significantly save processing time by using COPRA® for designing and evaluating rolls. Just a few steps are required in order to design a working profile. The participants furthermore confirmed that COPRA® is an absolutely reliable program.

Formit Ltd., a major machine manufacturer in Great Britain, has not produced a single faulty roll in the last two years they were using the software. Reliability is a crucial advantage for our customers.

In future we plan to organize exchange programs with the NCUT North China University of Technol-ogy under the chairmanship of Dr. Jiying Liu who has been our sales partner for the COPRA® Rollform software in China for a long time. The next international partner meeting will take place in autumn 2001 in Thailand at NR Automation Bangkok’s headquarters. We would like to take this opportunity to invite anybody interested in this event already today.

New partner in India

ABCON Information Systems Pvt. Ltd. is part of the ABCON Group in India founded 15 years ago. The ABCON Group comprises 3 units:

ABCON Information Systems Pvt. Ltd. sells software solutions and offers comprehensive consulting in this field of activity; ABCON Engineering & Systems Pvt. Ltd. concentrates on consulting services in the field of business process re-engineering; ABCON Technology & Management offers solutions and services to the automotive and automotive components service industries.

ABCON Information Systems Pvt. Ltd. Unit is our new general distributor for the COPRA® Rollform software for tubes and profiles in India.

ABCON Group was founded by Ajit K. Bhattacharjya who has worked in a wide variety of industrial sectors, especially in the automotive and car supply industry in India and the UK.

The ABCON Group counts many renowned companies in India amongst its customers.

Dr. Jiying Liu

North China University of Technology

Dr. Jiying Liu has used the COPRA® RollForm software for many years and has a profound knowledge and rich experience in roll forming. Since 1994 he has been working with COPRA® and has been using our products for research, teaching and industrial projects.

COPRA® RollForm Software’s major advantage, as Dr. Liu confirms, lies in the fact that the user saves design steps during profile design and can verify the results via simulation technology.

The benefit for the customer is the significant time saving effect during profile design and evaluation of the created profiles.

Top Support

Instead of contacting you only when design problems have to be solved, I think it is high time again to honestly compliment you on your excellent support which is un-equalled. data M clearly excels her competitors — keep up the good work!

Peter Beer, ROI Medical Systems GmbH

Reliable

"We have not had a bad roll in 2 years with COPRA®, which proves the product’s reliability", said Jim Bain, member of the Formit management, at the 1st International Partner Meeting at data M’s headquarters. Formit Ltd. is the data M software partner for the Great Britan and has used COPRA® RollForm software since 1994. Formit its customers are extremely satisfied with the data M software solution.

Jim Bain, Formit Ltd. UK

data M in USA

data M Corporation founded

In March we have founded our US subsidiary in Wayne, Phila-delphia, in order to be closer to the sites of our US customers. This allows us to react even faster and be better focused on the needs of our clients and prospective customers in the States.

On the other hand, synergy effects will also result in a series of advantages for our European clientele.

data M Corporation, 
125 Strafford Avenue, Suite 300
Wayne, PA 19087, USA
Phone. ++1(610) 687-7759
Fax ++1(610) 526-1786
e-mail: datam@data-m.com

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