Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 47

is closed, it leaves an imprint. Based on
the quality of the imprint, an employee
carefully adjusts things manually until
everything has a positive contact. This is
a prerequisite for the dimensional and
surface precision of the sheet metal
parts – to a hundredth of a millimeter
over the entire life cycle of the model.
The tools are optimally prepared. In
practice, however, forming of steel
sheet and aluminum blanks in the press
is subject to certain infl uencing parame-
ters. This a ects how the metal is drawn
in at the so-called fl ange – or edge –
which is necessary to stretch it over the
die. If this occurs too slowly, the stress is
too great and small cracks can form,
but if the sheet metal is drawn in too
quickly, the part’s stability could su er.
It is precisely this challenge that is solved
by the use of intelligent tools. They
monitor the forming process with the
help of numerous sensors. Laser sen-
sors, for instance, make it possible to
track metal fl ow in the fl ange area.
If deviations from the target value are
found, the tool automatically adjusts the
clamping forces in the tool. As a result,
even the most challenging parts can be
produced with a reliable process and
consistently high quality.
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