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Force measurement for a metal forming process
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Background

Novelis is an American industrial aluminum company, headquartered in Atlanta. We are a leading producer of aluminum and the world’s largest recycler of aluminum.

We seek partnerships with experts and solutions providers to measure force during our sheet metal forming process.

Accurately monitoring the force applied to the tool can provide better understanding of the stresses the material undergoes during the forming process, and how changes in metal properties or tooling affect manufacturing success. The acquired data will support the development of accurate FEA modeling, tooling design, and alloy development.

The force sensors often used in metallurgy are conventional load cells or strain gauges. However, there are specific limitations in the sheet metal forming process that make placement of those sensors challenging. (Note that despite these challenges, these sensors are NOT out of scope.)

Background on the sheet metal forming process:

  • In the sheet metal forming process, the raw material is placed between the upper and lower dies of a vertical forming press. The press then applies a significant amount of force to the metal, shaping it according to the contours of the dies.
  • The area of interest for this opportunity is the lower die set.
  • In the operation being analyzed, a series of concentric tools present in the lower die set are operated by pneumatic pistons that create pockets of high pressures between the tooling that must be maintained in order to properly form the finished product.
  • To maintain the pressure and precision of forming, the tools have low clearances and are in contact through wear rings or seals.
  • The press operates at 150 strokes / minute with an approximate applied force of 2600 lbf at the location of interest.

Placement of force sensors to measure applied pressure is difficult due to low clearance, complex geometry and the presence of pressure zones:

  • Low clearance: There are dimensional constraints caused by the dimensions and design of each tool. The tools have, at greatest, an approximately 2.5" outer diameter with, at smallest, an approximately 0.5" inner diameter.
  • Complex geometry: Precise alignment of the tooling is crucial for ensuring proper shaping outcome. The compact and complex geometry of the parts makes it challenging to find suitable locations for sensor placement that do not compromise the manufacturing process or accuracy of force measurements.
  • Pressure zones: The tool has air lines that run through to maintain pressure zones as well as bolt holes for mounting.
What we're looking for

We are looking for a method to measure the change in force, specifically in the lower tooling (lower die set), during the forming process with enough accuracy to allow for the correlation of the data to the process and material parameters. We are open to solutions including, but not limited to the following "Solutions of interest":

Supporting figures
Figure 1: Representative cross section of tooling assembly
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Figure 2: Bottom view of instrumented tool
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Solutions of interest include:
  • Micro-electromechanical systems, including micro-strain gauges and piezo resistors.
  • Creative configurations or designs of conventional force sensing systems that can be implemented in our process given the previously mentioned constraints, such as strain gauge load cells, capacitive load cells and piezoelectric load cells.
  • Non-contact, image-based measurements, such as digital-image correlation, to go along with strain gauges.
  • Advanced force sensing systems, such as fiber optic sensing systems, piezoelectric force sensors, non-intrusive capacitive sensors, wireless load cells and 3D load sensing systems.
Our must-have requirements are:
  • Addition of instrumentation cannot interfere with forming process of final formed product
  • Must work at current minimum speed of 150 strokes per minute and loads in excess of 2600lbf
Our nice-to-have's are:
  • Easy to install and uninstall from press
  • Minimal changes to existing tooling
  • Can be utilized at higher speeds and higher loads
  • At least 10kHz data acquisition rate to be able to correlate data with specific forming steps. Ideally, 20kHz or greater acquisition rate
What's out of scope:
  • Measurement methods that require extensive manual set-up and verification prior each use
Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):
Levels 4-9
What we can offer you
Eligible partnership models:
Co-development
Supply/purchase
Licensing
Sponsored research
Benefits:
Sponsored Research
Up to $50,000 based on evaluation of proposal, with additional potential funding for further development. This would likely be for the initial proof of concept, with additional funding available for the instrumentation. We are also open to other partnership models, such as consulting with an SME or a purchase order with a startup/company.
Expertise
Partners will have access to industry experts in specific metal forming process, equipment engineering, and material properties. A company champion will be provided to ensure collaborative success.
Tools and Technologies
Upon development of technology, there is potential for industry-wide commercialization..
Facilities and Services
Partners will have access to our metal forming pilot line in Kennesaw, GA for prototype evaluation.
Data
Partner can access current FEA modeling of forming process for preliminary estimation of loads.
Who we are

The Novelis R&D mission is to be the leading provider of sustainable and innovative aluminum solutions. Our team delivers industry-leading technical expertise and innovative solutions via our applied technology labs around the world. Our engineers, scientists, metallurgists, chemists and computer scientists have set the standard for aluminum alloys. Owning more than 134 automotive-specific patents, we are committed to continuing to lead the industry in innovation. We win by shaping partnerships inside the company and around the globe. Because lasting innovation doesn't happen alone. The ability to think big and act bold is at our core. It's how our breakthroughs happen. It's how we brought one of the first all-aluminum vehicle bodies to the automotive industry.

 Learn more
Reviewers
CN
Carlos Nobrega
Roadmap leader
SH
Stewart Hickey
Engineer II
TK
Tina Kosmicki
Sr. Manager R&D Ecosystems
Q&A with Novelis

The Q&A is now closed.

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Q.
Please provide a schematic or image of example tools and die sets. I worked for National Instruments for 25 years and have experience with instrumentation, sensing, and imaging systems. I'm now a prof at Texas A&M.
1
A.
Hello John - We have added figured on the Opportunity page to show more details on the tool and die set. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
TK
Tina Kosmicki, Sr. Manager R&D Ecosystems, Novelis
February 6, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
A.
An acoustics, vibration, and other sensors with a machine learning model is possible. The ML model is trained on "in process" forces and "out of process" forces. Can you change the force to create data for the faults or do you have data of the faults? Aerospace vendors use a similar technique in their processes. It's not a direct measure of the forces, yet it gives an out of process condition. This is not a direct force measurement but with enough data you could create a system that predicts when the process is near a fault condition. I teach instrumentation and ML courses and have 25 years of industry experience at National Instruments.
3
A.
I appreciate your comment and look forward to seeing your proposal!
TK
Tina Kosmicki, Sr. Manager R&D Ecosystems, Novelis
February 23, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
What are your intentions with IP?
1
A.
Hello Kenzo. Typically we would be interested in IP protection of the application and use case for the technology, not the technology itself. Specifics of IP ownership could be reviewed and discussed after proposal evaluation.
SH
Stewart Hickey, Engineer II, Novelis
March 5, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Would Novelis be receptive to sponsoring a senior design class/group? A piezoelectric force sensor, fiber bragg grating sensor, and/or a magnetic sensor could likely work, and a student team could likely implement this.
1
A.
Novelis would be receptive to sponsoring a project depending on the level of involvement from the groups advisor and the project proposal submitted which demonstrates how the group would tackle the problem.
TK
Tina Kosmicki, Sr. Manager R&D Ecosystems, Novelis
February 12, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Are overhead/indirect cost charges included?
BI
Brian Ibsen, Corporate Relations, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
March 4, 2024
1
A.
Yes. However potential additional funding can be made available based on the proposal submitted.
TK
Tina Kosmicki, Sr. Manager R&D Ecosystems, Novelis
March 5, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Fig.2 shows a component in green, not shown in Fig.1 - where does it go? Can you show where the various components (and the workpiece) are at differents points in the 2.5Hz cycle, e.g. at their extremes of travel?
1
A.
Figure 2 is the bottom view of the instrumented tool included to show the geometric limitations of the tooling. The green portion of the figure is stationary during the cycle. Detailed geometric information will be provided after initial proposal is reviewed.
TK
Tina Kosmicki, Sr. Manager R&D Ecosystems, Novelis
March 5, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
The Figures do not give enough information. In Fig.1 is the force marked F (green arrows) the force to be monitored; is it the 2600 lbf force; are there other forces to be monitored? Fig1 is cut off, what is below?
1
A.
Yes, the force marked F is the force to be monitored (2600 lbf). This would be the only force to be monitored. The additional equipment below the cut off mark include the rest of the piston and the bed of the die set. Detailed drawings can be provided once the proposal is submitted.
TK
Tina Kosmicki, Sr. Manager R&D Ecosystems, Novelis
March 5, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Are the small yellow and pink boxes where the sensor goes? Or the bottom of the green tool? In case of a custom solution, do you have force measurement tools to calibrate on site?
1
A.
The orange and pink boxes represent the air sealing gaskets, so any solution would have to avoid interfering with those. Where and how to fit the sensors is what we are investigating. We do have some limited verification means onsite, calibration capabilities and requirements could be discussed further.
SH
Stewart Hickey, Engineer II, Novelis
March 18, 2024
Is this response helpful?
1
0
Q.
What is the temperature range where the sensor will be located? How long the sensor will work without interruptions?
1
A.
The system operates at room temperature around 20C.
SH
Stewart Hickey, Engineer II, Novelis
March 18, 2024
Is this response helpful?
1
0
Q.
Are you interested in the actual force measurement or just the change of forces (force trend for diagnostics and prognosis?)
1
A.
Yes, we are interested in the live/actual force measurement. We would be interested in both.
SH
Stewart Hickey, Engineer II, Novelis
March 18, 2024
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