Development of a Practical Blank Layout Optimisation System for Stamping Die Design

Blank layout is one of the most important processes in stamping die design. As the major cost in sheet metal stamping is the material cost, any efforts to minimise the scrap may result in substantial savings not only in strip material, but also in overall production. This paper is mainly targeted at establishing a practical blank layout optimisation system for stamp ing die by using AutoCAD’s ObjectARX toolkit. The basic principles of blank layout optimisation are first described, and then the general structure of the system is proposed. Not only a suitable algorithm for layout calculation, but also the manufacturing requirements and user operation are fully considered in this system. Finally, an algorithm for blank shape offsetting is proposed to solve the problem of self-intersection in offset curves, and the traditional ‘1-step tranzlation’ algorithm for the calculation of layout parameters is improved to eliminate the conflict between precision and efficiency in the layout optimisation.