Robust methodology of automatic design for automobile panel drawing die based on multilevel modeling strategy

The automation and robustness have always been the focal points in the design system for stamping die. A robust methodology of automatic design based on multilevel modeling strategy is presented in this paper for automobile panel drawing die by analyzing and eliminating the factors that lead to design failure. The inherent attribute of geometry is blamed for the failure, which is defined as “ambiguous modeling failure (AMF) caused by orientation attribute.” The methodology is aimed at guaranteeing the remodel robustness and improving the automation level of die design, which is discussed under three aspects: structure modeling, die checking, and parameter managing. (1) The multilevel modeling strategy is designed to guarantee the robustness of structure modeling through treating AMFs in advance, intensively and hierarchically by redefining the modeling procedure and building two control units. (2) Automatic check of die structure is expected to drastically promote design efficiency, which will ensure checking correctness and reduce checking cost compared with manual work. (3) The well-managed parameters facilitate the invocation of parameters for the users, which make the die alterations more convenient and faster. Finally, an automated design system for automobile panel drawing die is developed on top of CATIA V5 to verify the methodology, which can accomplish the main structures, layout of standard parts, and check of die structure automatically. Experimental results and feedback from the design office together indicate that the system can improve design efficiency and design quality dramatically.