Analysis and design of body jack case stamping for fewer production steps

Formability analysis is an important step in design of successful sheet metal forming processes before a physical tryout can be carried out. This paper presents a design process in an industrial practice for a forming process of a new body jack case. The design needs to conform to the functionalities and reduce production steps, especially the welding step, which is required in the previous design. The part is then produced by stamping a flat steel sheet and needs no further welding. The stamping process is consistently analyzed by using a nonlinear finite element method (FEM). The formability is verified by using a forming limit diagram (FLD) as the main key performance index (KPI). In addition to the formability, other manufacturing aspects (i.e., trim line, and cost) are also taken into account. In order to determine an optimal process condition, major parameters (i.e., part configuration, blank configuration, and blank material) are explored. A blank configuration from inverse analysis (IA) results in an acceptable stamped part according to FLD. However, it requires extra trimming cost and causes the stamped part's perimeter to be too close to the trim line. A simpler blank configuration has shown in this study that it can meet the design requirement. It is also seen that a material selection plays an important role in the formability of the part. In this study, JIS SPCE is chosen over JIS SPCC and JIS SPCEN due to its formability and cost merit, respectively.