The mold is the basic process equipment for the automotive industry. More than 90% of parts and components in automobile production rely on mold forming. According to Luo Baihui, secretary-general of the International Model Association, about 1500 sets of molds are needed to make an ordinary car, and about 1,000 sets of stamping dies are used. In the development of new models, 90% of the workload has been carried out around the changes in the body profile. About 60% of new vehicle development costs are used for the development of bodywork and stamping processes and equipment. About 40% of the vehicle manufacturing cost is the cost of the body stamping and its assembly.

In the development of the automotive mold industry at home and abroad, mold technology presents the following nine development trends.

1. The three-dimensional design status of the mold can be consolidated The three-dimensional design of the mold is an important part of the digital mold technology, and it is the basis for the integration of mold design, manufacture, and inspection. Toyota, U.S. General Motors and other companies have achieved three-dimensional design of molds and achieved good results. Some practices taken abroad in the three-dimensional design of molds are worth learning from. In addition to facilitating the realization of integrated manufacturing, the three-dimensional design of the mold has another advantage that it is convenient for interference checking and can perform motion interference analysis, solving a problem in two-dimensional design.

2. The simulation of the stamping process (CAE) has become even more prominent In recent years, with the rapid development of computer software and hardware, the simulation technology (CAE) of the press forming process has played an increasingly important role. In the United States, Japan, Germany and other developed countries, CAE technology has become a necessary part of the mold design and manufacturing process. It is widely used to predict molding defects, optimize the stamping process and mold structure, improve the reliability of mold design, and reduce the test time. Many domestic automotive mold companies have also made remarkable progress in the application of CAE, and have obtained good results. The application of CAE technology can greatly save the cost of tryout and shorten the development cycle of stamping die. It has become an important means to ensure the quality of the die. CAE technology is gradually changing the mold design from experience design to scientific design.

3. Digital die technology has become a mainstream digital die technology that has been rapidly developed in recent years. It is an effective way to solve many problems faced in the development of automotive die. The so-called digital mold technology is the application of computer technology or computer-aided technology (CAX) in the mold design and manufacturing process. Summing up the successful experience of computer-aided technology applied by domestic and foreign auto mold enterprises, the digital automotive mold technology mainly includes the following aspects: 1 Design for manufacturability (DFM), that is, consider and analyze manufacturability during design to ensure the success of the process. 2 Assist technology for mold surface design, development of intelligent surface design technology. 3CAE assists in the analysis and simulation of the press forming process, predicting and resolving possible defects and forming problems. 4 Replace traditional 2D designs with 3D mold design. 5 mold manufacturing process using CAPP, CAM and CAT technology. 6 Deal with the problems that arise in the trial moulding process and stamping production under the guidance of digital technology.

4, rapid development of mold processing advanced processing technology and equipment is an important basis to improve productivity and ensure product quality. It is not uncommon for advanced automotive mold companies to have dual-table CNC machine tools, automatic tool changer (ATC), automatic processing of optoelectronic control systems, and online workpiece measurement systems. CNC machining has evolved from simple profile machining to full-scale machining of surface and structural surfaces, from low-to-middle-speed machining to high-speed machining, and processing automation technology has developed rapidly.

5, high-strength steel stamping technology is the future direction of development High-strength steel due to the yield strength ratio, strain hardening characteristics, strain distribution ability and collision energy absorption, etc. have excellent characteristics in the use of the car continues to increase. At present, the high-strength steels used in automotive stampings include paint hardened steel (BH steel), dual phase steel (DP steel), and phase change induced plasticity steel (TRIP steel). The ULSAB project that 97% of the ULSAB-AVC models introduced in 2010 will be high-strength steels. The proportion of advanced high-strength steel plates in the entire vehicle will exceed 60%, of which the dual phase The proportion of steel will account for 74% of the steel plates for vehicles.

Nowadays, a large number of mild steel series, mainly IF steels, will be replaced by high-strength steel plate series, and high-strength low-alloy steels will be replaced by dual-phase steels and ultra-high-strength steel plates. At present, the application of high-strength steel plates for domestic auto parts is still limited to structural parts and beam parts, and the tensile strength of the materials used is mostly below 500 MPa. Therefore, the rapid mastery of high-strength steel stamping technology is an important issue to be solved urgently in China's automotive mold industry.

6. New mold products are introduced at the right time With the development of auto stamping production efficiency and automation, progressive molds will be applied more widely in the production of automotive stamping parts. Luo Baihui said that the progressive die is a kind of high-tech mould product, which is technically difficult, requires high manufacturing precision, and has a long production cycle. The multi-position progressive die will be one of the key mold products developed in China, with complex shapes of stamping parts. In particular, some small and medium-sized complex stamping parts that require multiple die sequencial punching in the conventional process are increasingly used for progressive die forming.

7. The mold material and surface treatment technology will be relied upon The quality and performance of reusable mold materials are important factors affecting mold quality, lifespan and cost. In recent years, in addition to a variety of high toughness and high wear resistance cold work die steels, flame quenching cold work die steels, and powder metallurgy cold work die steels, it is worthwhile to use cast iron materials for large and medium press dies abroad. Concerned about the development trend. Ductile iron has good toughness and wear resistance, its welding performance, processability, surface quenching performance are also better, and the cost is lower than the alloy cast iron, so more applications in the automotive stamping die.

8. The scientific and informational management is the development direction of the mold enterprises Another important aspect of the development of automotive mold technology is the scientific and informatization of management. The scientization of management has enabled mold companies to continue to develop in the direction of Just-in-Time Manufacturing and Lean Production. The management of enterprises is more accurate, the production efficiency has been greatly improved, and the invalid institutions, links, and personnel have continued to be streamlined. With the advancement of modern management technology, many advanced information management tools include enterprise resource management system (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), project management (PM), etc. Widely used.

9. Refined manufacturing of molds is an inevitable trend The so-called fine-molding of molds is the development process and manufacturing results of the molds. It is specifically represented by the rationalization of the stamping process and the design of mold structures, and the high precision of mold processing. High product reliability and technical management rigor. In fact, mold fine manufacturing is not a single technology, and it is a comprehensive reflection of design, processing, and management technology. In addition to technological excellence, the realization of the refinement of mold manufacturing must be ensured by strict management.