October 2009

Press hardening tools put to the test

Press hardening technology has taken off on a broad scale in the automotive industry and AP&T is a world-leading supplier of complete production lines for press hardening. It takes extensive engineering work with simulations and machining to develop a new press hardening tool. But, the tool isn't put to the real test until it is subjected to AP&T's realistic full-scale tests. This testing aims to ensure that production start at the customer goes as smoothly as possible.

To aid AP&T in this endeavor, AP&T Tooling Solutions in Blidsberg now has a testing facility with an electrically heated press hardening furnace that can heat the blanks to the necessary temperature, a hydraulic press in which the tool is tested and full automation for the handling of blanks and parts.

The purpose of full-scale testing is to verify the functionality of the press hardening tool under the same conditions like in automated series production. The transfer of the blank from heating to the press tool is a vital element that is critical to the temperature of the blank and thereby also the forming process. For this reason, the testing facility is equipped with an AP&T SpeedFeeder press robot that handles both infeed to and outfeed from the furnace and press.

Because the testing environment is fully automated, there is a high level of continuity in the test process (it is possible to perform a number of identical forming cycles in sequence). This ensures that the test results have high quality. AP&T’s testing facility also offers the opportunity to produce test series of parts with high quality and repetition accuracy for customers.