DMI-9734231 Walczyk Metal tooling made of a laminated construction offers advantages over tooling made by more conventional methods (e.g., CNC machining) in terms of tooling accessibility, reduced die geometry limitations, quicker fabrication with hard tool materials, easier incorporation of sensors for process control, and more flexibility with conformal cooling passages. The research objectives of this CAREER project are to first identify the various manufacturing processes that can benefit from a laminated tooling construction. Once all of the tooling requirements are established, a structural/thermal model for clamped and bonded laminated tools will be developed and experimentally verified. The aim of this model is to give a tooling designer the means to predict the structural/thermal behavior of a laminated tool subjected to various loads, pressures, and temperatures. Next, an efficient technique will be developed for creating kinematically and dynamically desirable trajectories for abrasive waterjet or laser cutting of laminations based on a solid or surface CAD model of the tool. An algorithm will also be developed for varying lamination thicknesses based on geometrical constraints of the tool (e.g., vertical walls) and/or manufacturing process requirements. Methods for improving the accuracy and quality of abrasive waterjet or laser-cut lamination beveled edges will also be investigated. Finally, methods for bonding laminations into a solid die (e.g., with adhesives) and ways of automating this procedure will be developed and experimentally verified. The education part of this project will be on enhancing and developing undergraduate and graduate courses in the design of mechanical elements and systems including the consideration of rapid tooling, fixturing and assembly. The development of a comprehensive set of design tools, fabrication procedures, predictive models is important to the science and technology base of rapid tooling. Industry can use the case studies to develop laminated tooling. The potential proliferation of laminated tooling within US industry can lead to significant savings in the cost and lead-time of tooling development.
