New software and hardware concepts for an integral in-line quality control in sheet metal forming

The typical sheet metal forming processes show variations in the forming behavior under scattering process contitions. These can be variations in the material properties such as the hardening behavior, as well as alterations in the process parameters like changes in temperature or the frictional condition. Unfortunately these are also those parameters which are nowadays not directly controlled during the process. The consequence is a decrease of the n-sigma level in many cases to level 4 or even level 3. The presented contribution demonstrates a new concept, which allows the detection and visualization of those parameters and which is directly coupled to an automatic adaptation of the controllable process parameters. A second goal of the new concept is to setup a transparent and unique database of material, process and quality parameters along the production chain.