Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2023 - 23

SIMULATION | ANALYSIS SOFTWARE FEATURE
Real-world molded
sample of a high-power
charging inlet combo
body previously tested
in Moldflow software,
and the CAD model of
inlet with PMI quality
annotations listing
tolerances. No data
conversion is needed
from Creo; detailed CAD
PMI is automatically
imported directly into
VGMETROLOGY.
matched the as-manufactured parts. In most cases, this means working
with molded products with normal center-tolerance concerns in the
tooling and typical push-out marks and small flaws. Mold simulation and
virtual metrology help identify and resolve both functional and cosmetic
aspects of producing molds and plastic parts. FAI leads to a feedback
loop where 3D-model and simulation, mold and manufactured part are
reconciled and unified with few-to-no discrepancies. From there, quality
templates are created from the VG software for automated inspection.
" Ten or fifteen years ago designers didn't really spend too much
time thinking about the details coming out of the mold, " Stokowski
said. " And much of that is taken care of now with tooling software
and the automation loop we are creating. The full data is there for
our interdisciplinary teams to see and use quickly. "
Simulation serves a quality-measurement workflow early on by
predicting material behavior and testing design parameters. A final
CT production scan of this automotive charging inlet also informs the
simulation about new variations and manufacturing distortions.
" STEP 214 and 242 didn't work for our integration, " he
continued. " We used the Application Programming
Interface (API) in the Creo toolkit and ISO-GPS to establish
our direct interface to VGMETROLOGLY and
VGSTUDIOMAX software. There are customized, added
special functionalities that let us reuse values derived
from FAI. And that's it: Geometric Dimension & Tolerance
(GD&T) capabilities from Creo and VGMETROLOGY,
along with the integration of VARIMOS from SIMCON -
no other software is needed to interconnect design and
simulation with quality measurement. "
The first goal of TE Connectivity's digital metrology
program was to ensure that the as-designed parts
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
Goal: Cut development times by 75%
" We are on target for a 10-day turnaround for design, simulation,
scanning and producing a digital metrology report, " Stokowski said.
" So much is now going on upfront. We want as much done as possible
before we hold a physical part. "
Volume Graphics has helped TE Connectivity in this frontloading
and looping of data with its Adaptive Measurement Templates. The
templates can classify, localize and segment defects using AI and
machine learning. They also automate much of the scan analysis and
then capture information for metrology reports. TE Connectivity's
goal is to lower analysis time from 10 days to five.
TE Connectivity also is working to cut its mold and part development
process to 25% of the time it took in the past. There always will
be some manual tasks, Stokowski said - a hands-on refinement of
GD&T, or times to debate an issue or resolve a digital discrepancy in
the " thread " that links programs. In addition, resources are limited, so
not every mold can go through Design of Experiments (DOE). But
the company's critical molds will use DOE and all new molds will pass
through the VGMETROLOGY software.
Suppliers are taking on the new approach as well, with many having
purchased virtual metrology systems of their own. Twenty-to-thirty
December 2023 23
ALL IMAGES: TE CONNECTIVITY
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - December 2023
