Special focus – “time- and cost-effective management in developing roll tools”

Successful and cost-attractive manufacture of roll formed parts not only calls for an efficient tool set – the design, production and maintenance of roll tools are also of decisive importance.

The data M Software booth at the EuroBLECH 2008 show is consequently focusing on "time- and cost-effective management in developing roll tools".

As part of a front-to-end presentation the engineers from the Bavarian-based company are showing their COPRA® RF software solution for developing and designing roll tools, innovations in data management (COPRA® CADFinder) and the possibility of cloning repeatedly needed roll geometries from existent tools, a new kind of database function for re-using old rolls (Recycling Database), and a fully automatic and highly precise roll gauging machine (COPRA® RollScanner 100-3) to demonstrate how simple it is to save an existing set of roll tools in a database.
Of course data M will also be demonstrating the latest version of its successful COPRA® FEA RF simulation package and explaining the various add-ons.

l Similarity search for profile and roll cross-sections
When you start to design a tool, one of the questions immediately posing itself is often:
Æ "Haven't we done something like this before?" or
Æ "Haven't we already solved this problem?"
If the answer is "Yes", you start to search for the documentation. That means defining a whole number of classifying codes or other descriptive features. In the case of special profiles, because of the variety of possible forms, searching can be a formidable task.

COPRA® RF now offers a method in its database that does away with the need for classifying profile cross-sections (and roll contours too). The search, across all ready saved contours, is for similarities of geometry and not for allegiance to a particular group. The method used here is based on a mathematical Fourier transform, with the necessary calculations running in the computer unnoticed by the user – the profile cross-sections or roll tools that are found are presented in ascending order sorted by their similarity with the reference profile.

Speedily and simply, the user can in this way view not only the particular profile cross-section but also the forming plus the roll tools used for the purpose.



Fig. 1: dataM-profile-cross-sections.JPG
Profile cross-sections found by a similarity search are presented in ascending order sorted by similarity with a reference profile.

l COPRA® CADFinder
In the database, as of release COPRA® RF 2009, it is possible to define different trees, and so organize work much more clearly than in many a management system. You can "drag & drop" projects you are momentarily working on into a "Current" list, for example. This is a functionality that is especially important for the similarity search of profile cross-sections: after a search the projects you find are listed in this window, and you can view and work on all relevant projects with COPRA® RF.

l COPRA® Recycling Database and COPRA® RollScanner
The COPRA® RF Roll Database is fully revised in its new Recycling version and comes in an entirely new design. Thus seen, it is not a matter of functionality. But it does make handling more simple by unique allocation and an object-oriented approach. Not too revolutionary maybe – until the COPRA® RollScanner enters the picture.

In the combination of COPRA® RF Roll Database and COPRA® RollScanner it may already have been possible to send scanned rolls straight to the database, but there was no rational way of retrieving them. You could search through criteria like roll bore, maximum diameter or maximum width. But then you also found rolls whose contours were smaller at certain points than those of the rolls you were looking for. Nor was there a possibility of differentiating between current stock and phased-out rolls. For such reasons a new search algorithm was needed, and found in the similarity search method by Fourier transform.



Fig. 2: dataM-COPRA-RollScanner_100-3.JPG
COPRA® RollScanner for automatic and precise capture of roll cross-sections. In addition to capturing rolls for stock ad ministration, the device is used for quality inspection of new rolls.

Rolls captured in the COPRA® RollScanner are automatically broken down into their descriptive mathematic Fourier coefficients, and saved in the Recycling Database. In a later search you can state the amount of oversize of the roll you are searching for. In a search for similar recycling rolls, the roll contour is also analyzed of course. This is to ensure that only rolls really exhibiting the required contour are traced. Once a matching roll is found, it is displayed on the design screen in a separate layer. The roll is linked to the originally designed contour. So the fabrication data such as material list, sawing list, etc clearly show that the roll already exists, and simply needs to be lathed again.

What is special about this solution is the seamless integration of the single work steps and ease of operation – essential for good acceptance.

Automatic meshing of perforated strip

The automatic meshing of perforated strip is taken here as an example of the expanded functionality in COPRA® RF. The perforations can be placed both in the 3D model and the even blank cut. The profile cross-section is generated in AutoCAD as a 3D object. Taking the punch library, the different hole shapes are produced at the appropriate positions in the ready profile. Seeing as this is already done three-dimensionally, you no longer find the restrictions familiar from 2D.

You can turn and shade the profile in any way, very simply de-fine the surfaces and reference points for the areas to be punched, and generate sequences for each tool. The cross-section produced in this way with all perforations is folded up, the perforations in the flat strip then being at the right positions. The resulting punch contours are transfered to COPRA® FEA RF where the mesh is automatically matched so that all perforations contained in the blank cut go into the flat strip.

In addition, extra tools such as socalled drawing dies, as often used in roll forming, can now easily and automatically be transferred from COPRA® RF CAD to COPRA® FEA RF simulation.

These additions very much simplify modeling of the roll forming operation, contributing to realistic verification of the forming process.

COPRA® FEA RF – data M’s simulation program for roll forming – is especially appreciated by users because of its realistic mapping of the roll forming operation. It helps to better under-stand the roll forming process, and to trace the causes of manufacturing problems.



Fig. 3: dataM-COPRA-functionality.JPG
COPRA® RF design and process simulation of perforated profiles;
COPRA® RollScanner for precise capture of roll geometries.