deep drawing

A complex process in sheet metal processing is multi stage deep drawing. Once set up, it can be considered as a black box. Usually, after the sheet metal has been processes the quality is assessed. In the research project Smart Press a system is developed, incorporating inline pictures of the processed sheet metal. Pictures of failures are related to the actual state of the machine. Neural Networks are used to model the highly complex relations between parameters and product attributes. Based on the assessed real time data, the process gets adjusted to suit the needs of each individual sheet.

Due to the increasing miniaturization in all areas, mechanical manufacturing processes of micro-components become more important. The combination of high production cycles and low manu-facturing tolerances in the micrometer range requires a comprehensive quality management, which seeks efficient processes with low quality costs. Because of the small component sizes and the difficulties associated with the handling process, the classic visual inspection retires as testing procedure. In combination with a customized micro-manufacturing surface metrology, an efficient image processing system is needed to identify surface imperfections such as cracks, dents and scratches. This paper presents different standards and applications on the basis of quality management that affect the surface inspection of micro components. By reference to a micro-thermoformed component from the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 747, the prototypical implementation of an automated image processing system is ...