3 Fundamentals of press design

128 Sheet metal forming and blanking
4.1.2 Die development
Fig. 4.1.5 A pressed part
with an integrated
punched nut
Traditionally the business of die engineering has been influenced by
the automotive industry. The following observations about the die
development are mostly related to body panel die construction. Essential
statements are, however, made in a fundamental context, so
that they are applicable to all areas involved with the production of
sheet-metal forming and blanking dies.
Timing cycle for a mass produced car body panel
Until the end of the 1980s some car models were still being produced for
six to eight years more or less unchanged or in slightly modified form.
Today, however, production time cycles are set for only five years or less
(Fig. 4.1.6). Following the new different model policy, the demands on
die makers have also changed fundamentally. Comprehensive contracts
of much greater scope such as Simultaneous Engineering (SE) contracts
are becoming increasingly common. As a result, the die maker is often
involved at the initial development phase of the metal part as well as
in the planning phase for the production process. Therefore, a much
broader involvement is established well before the actual die development
is initiated.
Metal Forming Handbook / Schuler (c) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1998