Integration of metalworking workflows

Challenge

As the move to Industry 4.0 gains momentum, connectivity is becoming the key to the future of the metalworking industry. Automated data processing for different types of metalworking and different metalworking applications takes this industry and related processes to the next level. It can be utilized in roll forming, press breaking machines, etc. Manufacturers of metalworking machines and producers of metal products and structures are seeking for software vendors that understand well the manufacturing process that requires very specific modelling operations. Becoming a base for connectivity of the manufacturing processes, solutions for metalworking have to allow automated manufacturing costs calculation, bill of materials generation etc. Modern on-demand manufacturing systems also require solutions with progressive functionality for seamless integration into existing production model, generating special reports for machine tools, based on which the machines could automatically perform necessary operations.

Solution

Open Cascade Platform offers a rich palette of algorithms for preparation of CAD models of sheet metal made products to manufacturing, creating fabrication-friendly 3D designs. Users can make precise measurements, calculate thickness of metal, measure and preset the number of bends and their radius (check sheet metal related features in CAD Processor). After that, such solution can prepare drawings and flat patterns of the model, stock orders for warehouse, estimate fabrication price automatically. It is a perfect base for creation of tailor-made end-to-end cloud or standalone solutions for linking engineering design, PLM system and manufacturing. The entire product lifecycle can be covered by connecting metalworking operations to enterprise processes such as production, supply chain, sales, etc. Advanced configure to order solutions can be created to perform 3D model editing in accordance with customer requirements. MBOM, 3D data and related information generated by the solution can be transferred to manufacturing. Linking visualization solution with ERP and/or PLM system allows generating and transferring the list of constituent elements to the warehouse and coordinate the consumption of materials.

Apart from sheet metal related algorithms, Open Cascade offers development tools for accurate calculation of the shape of a material blank to be used for production of a particular detail of the product (a plate). Unfolding and deforming components of Open Cascade Platform for thick metal plates help to create flat patterns from imported 3D parts. Unfolding Library provides a tool to convert curved shells into their planar equivalents. Such technologies can be integrated easily and straightforwardly into OCCT-based applications for modelling sheet material products. They allow mapping of points and lines located on a plate from a 3D (curved) shape to a 2D (unfolded) model and back. The accuracy can be adjusted by tuning the mesh generation algorithm and its parameters. Deformations can be evaluated by value of strains at any point on the plate. The results of unfolding are exported to PLY and VTK formats for easy transfer to other applications.

Business value

Technologies and software offered by Open Cascade allow customers better planning of manufacturing processes, eliminating trials and errors and can be leveraged for manufacturing cost estimations and reduction. The software unlocks competitive advantages for metalworking machines manufacturers. It enables integration of metalworking workflows with supply chains, mock ups, sales etc., bridging gaps between product lifecycle management (PLM) data, enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and, if it is needed, end-user web portal, establishing end-to-end continuity that digitally transforms existing processes, reduces presales and sales costs and controls expendable materials.