Automation of sheet metal positioning in stamping die design

Proper positioning of the blank in the sheet metal forming dies is very important. An error in the initial positioning can lead to the production of a defective part. The number and location of positioning gauges are very effective in positioning the part correctly. In the manual and traditional design of dies for forming large sheet metal parts, two positioners are usually used to position the sheet at each edge, therefore eight gauges are used in the four directions of the sheet, some of which do not seem to be necessary. In the present study, by establishing a relationship between Catia and Abaqus softwares and with the help of optimization methods, an integrated software system has been created that is able to automatically perform finite element analyzes and make changes in the input file according to the output of each analysis and perform the next analysis. At each stage, for a specific arrangement of gauges, the amount of deviation of the sheet during placement and forming is examined, which should not be more than the allowable limit. Applying changes to the input parameters according to the optimization algorithm and performing subsequent analyzes will continue until the problem converges to the best answer that suggests the arrangement of the positioning levels. To compare the results of this system with the traditional design, two examples are presented. The results show that with a smaller number of gauges than the traditional method, the blank can be positioned correctly and accurately in the die.