Working Group Fineblanking (AKF) sets roadmap for next year
In 2021 fineblanking with carbide, cutting punch wear and new mobility concepts for fine cutting will be focused
On November 10 and 11, 2020, the first virtual annual general meeting of the Working Group Fineblanking (AKF) took place. The working group, founded in 2016, consists of 35 local members from Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada and Spain and forms together with the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL of the RWTH Aachen University the first research association on the subject of fine blanking.
Due to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, this year's annual general meeting was held in a digital format for the first time. Despite the tense economic situation three companies could be accepted as new members of the working group by the members' vote. After an eventful year, the research results from the projects "Fineblanking with Carbide", "Assessment of the Fineblanking Capability of Sheet Metal Materials" and the study "Politically Oriented Risk Management" were presented and discussed. In the project "Fineblanking with Carbide" it was possible for the first time in 2020 to use carbide as a reliable stamping material for fineblanking high-strength steel sheet. In addition, the progress made in the development of the application of structure-borne sound analysis for tool state monitoring was presented.
The annual research program of the industry working group is based on the different needs of the members. In 2021, the topics "Fineblanking with hard metal" and "Fineblankability of materials with focus on cutting punch wear" as well as a study on the topic "Hydrogen potentials and risks of new mobility concepts for fineblanking" will be jointly developed. In addition, the structure-borne sound analysis at the WZL is being further developed to market maturity.
A homogeneous composition of large companies and SMEs forms the cross-sector network. The combination of experts in the field of fineblanking technology and the expertise of companies in the fields of tooling, lubricants, materials and systems engineering creates an excellent basis for sophisticated, pre-competitive joint research. The aim is to generate a technological lead by the targeted processing of relevant research projects in order to provide the members with a sustainable competitive advantage.
The industrial working group is also an active knowledge hub for the lively exchange of experience between users and fineblanking producers as well as tool, material and lubricant manufacturers. By bringing together the various specialist expertise, the technologically complex interactions in fineblanking can be researched and discussed at the highest level. This enables a well-founded scientific research under industrial boundary conditions.