Advanced design and development of profiled edge lamination tools

Rapid Tooling (RT) methods have been shown to significantly reduce the cost and time of tooling development (i.e., design and fabrication). Profiled Edge Lamination (PEL) tooling, a RT method intended for large-scale dies and molds, involves the assembly of an array of laminations whose top edges are simultaneously profiled and beveled using a line-of-sight cutting method based on a CAD model of the intended tool surface. In this paper, a completely integrated PEL tooling development process is discussed, which includes tooling design and analysis in a virtual environment. Then, a simple 2-dimensional (2-D) case study involving sheet metal forming with a PEL tool is presented. Finally, fundamental analysis issues involved with development of this integrated design and analysis environment will be addressed.