Increase Process Quality
Speeding up Innovation - Reducing Costs
Numerical forming simulation is indispensable today for reliably predicting the formability of metal and plastic parts as well as for shortening development times and therefore cutting costs.
The INDEED software system offers a unique range of innovative high-precision calculation models for the simulation of forming processes, i.e.
In connection with experimentally validated material laws, problems encountered in daily practice can be quickly described and a highly exact solution obtained. The process-oriented, intuitively operated user interface facilitates data set-up and the analysis of results.
The INDEED simulation package is based on the incremental finite element method (FEM). This means that the balance between inner and outer loads is determined in each incremental load step. The spring-back of the formed part can be determined with only one unloading step due to the elastic component in the material law.
A comparison between the simulation results and the specifications of the part to be manufactured allows the method planer and toolmaker to initially carry out the required modifications on the virtual model instead of on the tool itself and to check the effects.
Allowance for draw beads, blank holder segmentations and operational sequences from cutting to seaming is just as much a part of the capabilities of INDEED as the incorporation of additional tools and tailored blanks into the calculation.
INDEED has been optimized for the simulation of deep-drawing processes as a result of a close cooperation with German automobile companies. But its general implementation also makes it readily adaptable to user-specific forming processes. INDEED is used, for example, on a daily basis by leading manufacturers in the area of hydroforming.
INDEED is continually updated and adapted to technological innovations in close cooperation with the users. The intensive exchange of experience among users, technology partners, material manufactures and universities guarantees that INDEED will continue to meet future demands.
Finite Elements
INDEED offers a variety of elements for the simulation of forming processes. Depending on the planning stage, the user decides whether a quick design solution or a more exact one is required. The membrane element is highly suitable for design solutions in the optimization process. This element is able to provide valuable predictions about the feasibility of a planned process in a short period of time. It is preferably used in method planning and tool design in the first half of the design process.
Highly accurate results allowing reliable conclusions can be obtained with the solid shell element that was specially developed for the deep-drawing process. In addition to excellent bending and membrane characteristics, the element formulation includes the change of thickness as an independent degree of freedom. In contrast to the classical shell element, this allows an efficient description of the friction contact on both sides. A further advantage: is that membrane element and the shell solid element work with the same tool description so that models can be easily interchanged.
Material Models
The successful numerical simulation of metal forming requires realistic material laws for the mechanical description of the materials used. Material laws for different steel and aluminium alloys are available in INDEED. The implemented material models allow modelling of large plastic deformations. The general strain hardening which occurs during the forming process has been validated experimentally by extensive bi-axial tests for various materials. The elastic component in the material law enables the determination of the stress distribution in the thickness direction in connection with the kinematics of the shell element. This makes realistic springback prediction possible.
Pre- and Postprocessing
The XINDEED user interface is a very effective tool for processing data and analysing the results. It is based on a step-by-step procedure that takes the user through the necessary stages with ease and precise results.
The tool surfaces are taken over from the CAD system and are automatically triangulated. The outline of the blank is all that is required to produce the finite element mesh. Holes and weld lines can also be taken into consideration. The interactive dialogue prompts the user for the data necessary to describe deep-drawing processes as well as the hydroforming of pipes and blanks. A wide range of tools is available to assist in the analysis of the results. In addition to single-image displays, animation of the forming process offers an especially effective means to judge material flows. A freely defineabel cross-section of the part and rotatable display of the strains in the Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) round off the analysis procedure.
Systems Requirements
INDEED can be used on all Unix workstations and servers and on personal computers with LINUX. INDEED is highly vectorized and parallelized and users have the option of employing very efficient parallel computers based on current and future standards. Since April 2010 Indeed is certified as IntelClusterReady.