Analysis of automated press-lines by means of simulation

The automotive industry employs flexible automated press-lines composed of individual mechanical presses and handling or feeding systems. The state-of-the-art is to stop the presses for the feeding operation in order to safely avoid collisions between feeder and die. Productivity however, would be improved substantially by performing feeding procedures within the regular cycle of the presses, i.e. running the press-line in continuous motion. Based upon parameterized models of the pressing forces as well as the presses including their servo drive systems the compliance of press-lines running in continuous motion with given kinematic and kinetic restrictions is verifiable by the introduced simulation.