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Abstract
This paper concerns a three month visit to an automotive stamping plant to lay the foundation for a Ph.D. research project. The main focus during the visit was on three areas: capturing intelligence from production teams and collecting available data when splits occur; correlating steel end of coil data provided by the suppliers to that obtained in the plant; and studying effects of material variation on stamping. Performance data and material properties are being used to assess stamping operations which involve using control charts and multivariable analysis to monitor the effects of material properties on the formation of splits.
Keywords
Sheet Metal, Stamping, Splits
(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)
1. Introduction
Splits are a common occurrence in an automobile company stamping plant. A split is a condition where the metal tears apart during the stamping, or forming, process resulting in a defective part. Diagnosing this type of defect can be troublesome due to the many variables involved in the stamping process. The variables can be categorized into three basic areas: product geometry, material, and process. The effects of material properties on split formation are of primary interest to the stamping plant. In terms of trouble-shooting split conditions, the goal of the stamping plant is to determine if the material received from the suppliers is acceptable. Hence, the stamping plant wants to develop criteria for accepting or rejecting material.
2. Project Background
During the summer of 2007, the authors began working with personnel at the stamping plant on a project to educate members of the production team regarding statistical process control (SPC) with a focus on control charting. The control charts were to be used for monitoring the material properties of the incoming sheet steel, which arrives in coil form. Since splits where a major problem, stamping plant personnel believed that proper SPC of the incoming material could help with the trouble-shooting of splits. It was during this time that the authors developed an academic interest in the split problem.
The research project involves developing a statistical model for predicting stamping splits as a function of metal formability and the material properties of the sheet steel. In regards to formability, the authors are studying the relationship between material formability as measured in the laboratory...