It was not really that long ago that parts and tools were designed using a drawing board and a T square. Of course, CAD came along and changed the way engineers drew and designed. Initially, 2D CAD simply made the drawing board electronic. Whilst this in itself was a huge step forward, it was soon trumpped by 3D parametric modelling.

At the root of simulation (and almost any FEA virtual testing environment) is a 3D CAD model. This means a full mathematical X,Y,Z representation of a part or die face in a common CAD format like IGS. Furthermore, surfacing is required. Whilst some earlier 3D CAD programs drew in 3D wire frame, the wires needed to be connected and surfaced for use as simulation “surfaces”. More and more CAD programs use SOLIDS or a combination of wires, surfaces and solids to mathemtically represent the designers intent. Whatever the method, the result can amolst always be outputted as IGS surfaces in 3D. It is a standard “Save As” option of almost every CAD package on the market.

So to keep it simple, 3D data is the standard and StampingSimulation.com always requires 3D CAD data to perform simulation work. Whilst it is not unforseen that some companies may not have access to the 3D CAD model (for example, an OEM has only issued part prints for quotation), it is always attainable from the designer and should be sort after as standard issue.

In the few cases where a simulation job maybe dealing with legacy tooling or part designs, there is the option of using 3D digital laser scanning, to capture the tooling surfaces or the part shape with a high degree of accuracy. Such equipment is becoming more and more common and affordable.

The bottom line is this: 3D data is a fundamental requirement for all forming simulation jobs.