The space requirement of a press is large, and the operating and acquisition costs for equipment and tools are enormous. Is there really no way around a press when forming precision components? Martin Wagner, a specialist in forming machines, aims to prove otherwise in the smartROLL project. Together with project partners, he shares the conviction that complex precision components such as heat exchanger plates for data centers, cooling plates for electronics, or connector elements in the automotive industry can be reformed up to 70 percent cheaper in the future using hollow die rolling - without compromising quality.
The idea is as simple as it is compelling: When forming, if the line contact of a roller is used instead of the large-area contact surface of a press tool, significantly lower forming forces are sufficient. The rolling tools cost between 40 and 50 percent of a forming tool and fit into a much more compact (and cheaper) system. Unbeatable arguments - provided the forming result meets the qualitative requirements.
smartROLL aims for hollow die rolling at the highest level
The goal of the smartROLL project is initially to develop a system for equipment and process monitoring that enables a close-to-workstation and inline-capable recording, evaluation, and assessment of all condition and process-relevant parameters during the rolling of precision parts.
In this way, quality and process information will be available during manufacturing in the future, serving as the basis for adaptive process control that sustainably improves product quality, overall equipment effectiveness, and operational reliability. The areas of mechanics, process, and control are considered together, and the overall behavior of the system is comprehensively recorded. This integrated approach allows for a holistic analysis and assessment of all influencing factors on component quality.
The basis of inline monitoring is a correlated evaluation of various data sources: retrofitted sensors in the machine (e.g., strain sensors on roller bearings), sensors in the rolling tools (e.g., angle, acceleration, or force sensors), as well as status sensors such as torque or angle measurement. The use of suitable data fusion methods is crucial to systematically combine and evaluate these heterogeneous data sets. Only through the 'correct' integration of all sensor data can a comprehensive, data-driven insight into the condition and performance of the machine and process be achieved. To clearly attribute anomalies in the sensor data to an event such as a quality fluctuation, the project transfers the mechanisms of hollow rolling as well as the employed machine and tool technology into mathematical models.
These models are incorporated into a diagnostic system based on machine learning methods (e.g., support vector machines).
The evaluation logic and models are integrated into the control system of the test facility along with an optimized system architecture and executed in real-time. This creates a virtual twin that provides information at various levels of detail. Additionally, an adaptive control system is enabled, which adjusts the process variables based on recognized fluctuations in process, machine, and quality parameters and implements these adjustments in a closed control loop.
The proof of the pudding: Bipolar plates for electrolyzers and fuel cells
The efficiency of electrolyzers and fuel cells largely depends on the manufacturing quality of the bipolar plates, which are considered core elements of both hydrogen systems. In the reference factory.H2, Fraunhofer IWU and its partners have already qualified hollow die rolling of bipolar plates for mass production. The current project's goal is to further enhance process and thus product quality - thereby creating a foundation for applying this method to numerous other components and products.
The smartROLL project is co-financed by tax funds based on the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament. Project partners of Fraunhofer IWU are: Profiroll Technologies GmbH, AUTEZ GmbH, TIQ Solutions GmbH.
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