Adaptive process control for three-point bending

The increasing level of competition in the sheet-metal working industry requires measures to reduce costs. There is considerable potential in the simplification of process procedures. Automated handling and the further processing of bent semifinished products require a high level of manufacturing precision in bending processes. However deviations in angles of several degrees from the desired values can arise as a result of material variations within one batch. An adaptive control system is developed in order to avoid expensive further manufacturing steps. This calculates the parameters required for the correction of the process control from variations in process values measured online. These adjustment values must be communicated to the bending machine and set during the ongoing forming process. For larger series of parts the coefficients of the correction matrix are also continuously improved, so that an optimum adaptive correction can be achieved for the current scatter in the material properties. The adaptive correction procedure is particularly effective in combination with the three-point bending technology. The highest levels of angular precision can already be achieved after a short independent optimization phase. However, the current spectrum of parts for a certain manufacturing task and a defined quality requirement should provide the basis for decisions concerning the economy of this process arrangement.