The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 31, 1995
Filed:
Feb. 04, 1994
Sing C Tang, Plymouth, MI (US);
Maurice M Lou, Canton, MI (US);
Thomas J Balun, Sterling Heights, MI (US);
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
Method for aiding sheet metal forming tool design, for use with a computer including memory, and forming tools including a draw die, punch and binder having surfaces designed to form the sheet metal into a part, the sheet metal being represented as a mesh including a plurality of nodes. The method includes evaluating an initial binder-set associated with an initial binder surface design during a first stage of forming the sheet metal in which at least one of the plurality of sheet metal mesh nodes is forced against the binder surface, and detecting an area of unacceptable deformation on the sheet metal mesh. The method also includes identifying the at least one of the plurality nodes forced against the binder surface associated with the unacceptable sheet metal deformation and releasing the at least one of the plurality of nodes identified, so as to allow the identified nodes to move as the sheet metal assumes a relaxed state. The method also includes redesigning the initial binder surface based on the relaxed state to obtain a modified binder surface.