A numerical method for the optimal blank shape design

This paper describes a numerical procedure for the blank shape design of thin metallic parts obtained by stamping. The objective is to determine the initial blank shape knowing the geometry of the desired 3D CAD part. The numerical procedure consists of two stages: At first, an estimation of the initial blank shape is given using the one step inverse approach (IA). Then, update of the blank shape is continued by iterations combining optimization algorithms and finite element analysis (FEA). The numerical procedure for the blank shape design is tested in the case of an industrial stamping process where the part is formed using a manual press without blank-holder. The proposed numerical procedure can provide very quickly the optimal blank shape in a few iterations.