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NX Progressive Die Design
» Progressive Die Design is a highly involved process and this is compounded when it
comes to integrating design change. Al Dean investigates the dedicated suite of tools
in NX from Siemens PLM Software which helps overcome the inherent complexity
O
ver the past few years much of
the coverage about Siemens’
flagship NX system has centred
on HD-PLM and Synchronous
Technology, and there’s been little written
about the product’s long standing roots in
the manufacturing industry. Today, NX stands
as one of a handful of truly integrated CAD/
CAM systems, which allows an organisation
to take data from conceptualisation, through
design and engineering and into the business
of manufacturing and production with a
range of technology for tooling design, NC
programming and beyond. In NX 7 the system
received a lot of development effort in
Progressive Die Design and it’s this that will
be the focus of this review.
Unfolding and unforming
As with all Progressive Die Design tools,
the starting point is the parts that need
to be manufactured. These will typically
be complex parts of a uniform thickness
with a myriad of folded, bent, punched and
stamped features. Even at this root level, it’s
clear that Siemens has an advantage over
many mainstream tools in its pure geometry
wrangling tools.
Progressive Die design works in a reversed
process, starting with the final shape, then
working backwards, unfolding the form
until a flat blank is reached. Siemens has
integrated a host of tools to do this, either
using an automated process or, for the more
difficult components, allowing the user to
manually flatten out each complex bend or
stamped form.
Straight break parts are arguably the
easiest to move quickly through the
unforming process, as their bends are
typically linear and relatively simple in
nature. Thanks to Synchronous Technology
the system can work through both native and
workflow: How to unfold a complex part
●
1 Split the part into linear and freeform regions
46 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2011 DEVELOP3D.COM
» Product: imported data and will quickly identify all of
NX Progressive the bends in the part. The user then creates
Die Design
instance after instance and works out the
» Supplier: order in which the bends will be created in the
Siemens PLM
strip. Each is an interlinked instance of the
Price on application
previous stage, so changes and modifications
www.siemens.com/plm
can very quickly be propagated through.
More complex parts require manual
intervention, but again, the power of NX’s
geometry wrangling tools and its simulation
capabilities, all come into play here. When
working up the flattened or intermediary
stages of a complex stamped form, the
1 is the ability to maximise material usage (or
user not only needs to be able to analyse
the resultant shape (from which the form
is created), but also ensure that there isn’t
excessive strain placed on the sheet material
●1 Unbend is used to
unfold linear bends. or, even worse, tearing. The system has
For over-bends, NX a lot of specialist tools built into to assist
provides parameters with formability analysis. These use FEA
to control the bend like techniques to create an accurate and
radius and bend region
viable blank in terms of manufacturability.
●2 Accurate
Essentially, the system creates a mesh of the
intermediate forms
can be defined for mid-surface of the part in question (though
multi-step operations the outer or inner surface can also be
with integrated CAE used). This is then adapted to a surface that
●
2 Define linear pre-bends and over-bends ●3 Use One-step (integrated CAE formability analysis) on
freeform areas to define intermediate and flattened regions
represents the ideal surface form that the
part is flattened onto. The mesh allows the
distortion of the material to be tracked and
used as the basis for simulation.
Following this the system runs through a
simulation to get from one to the other. All of
the analysis can be documented using HTML-
based reports to record how decisions were
made and to put them into context.
For many parts the approach used (either
straight break or freeform) won’t be as clear
cut and here the system allows users to mix
and match the techniques where needed.
It may be the case that a part requires one
complex forming operation to be carried out,
and the straight break, feature-driven tools
can be used for the rest.
Once the part stages are complete the next
step is to move into creating a strip layout
which better represents the form of the sheet
material as it moves through the die. This
is easy and requires very little in the way of
interactive input unless you need to introduce
special features such as notches for strip
location, overlaps and overcuts for trimming
purposes. One of the most critical features
in these times of harsh economic pressure
to put it another way, to minimise material
wastage). The system can display a persistent
material usage meter using colour to show
unused stock. This allows the user to play with
the distances and swap around intermediate
stages to help maximise the amount of parts
that can be made from the die, without
sacrificing quality or manufacturability.
Die base design
The next stage is to create the die base. As
with almost all modern mould or die related
applications, NX’s Progressive Die Design
tools are catalogue-based. This allows users
to very quickly select standard component

stacks from preferred vendors.
For those looking to custom-build a tool
then all of NX’s modelling functionality is
at hand, but it’s probably more effective
to adapt existing models, so they retain
their intelligence. Alongside the plate
stacks, there is a full library of components,
including their inherent mounting features
such as drilling cycles, and taps. Once in
place, it’s a case of moving on to creating
the features that actually form the
components that are being worked on.
At this point it’s important that the user
●
4 Model the transitions between linear and freeform regions ●
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SOFTWARE REVIEW
is working with an intelligent model. While
experienced users may have a good idea of
where component clashes may occur, it’s

not until the hard geometry for the various NX Progressive Die Design is an
piercing, punching, bending and forming
inserts are defined, that they will get a excellent example of what can happen
concrete idea of where things are heading. when a strong and capable platform
NX includes template-driven operations
for creating these types of features. These is combined with a huge range of
include the extraction of the faces that
represent the cut or forming surface, the
expert-led specialised tools
extension of those faces and the creation
of the shank, any additional components

5 Use Synchronous Technology to refine the blank - remove ●
6 Layout the strip sequence
finishing details and adjust material dimensions
DEVELOP3D.COM DECEMBER / JANUARY 2011 47

(such as the heel, ramps, flanges etc) or the
associated cut-outs or reliefs for the insert
once this is complete. It’ll even add in a little
clearance to ensure it’s possible to remove
the inserts where needed, and combine
seemingly separate inserts onto a single
plate and much more.
Where possible and applicable, these can
be reused across several operations. For
example, if there are common holes or other
features to be punched, they can be copied
and reused - all the while, linking back to
the original data. This is perhaps the biggest
benefit of using a system like NX Progressive
Die Design. Whether starting with native
data or imported ‘dumb’ geometry,
everything you do is associative. It becomes
much easier to accommodate design change
and make adjustments. Then in subsequent
projects, data can be reused.
Into production
Because the software is based on the
NX platform, the tools are able to pull in
additional capabilities that exist within the
system. One excellent example is the ability
to simulate the movement of the die. This
helps ensure that the various components
don’t clash or interfere once assembled and
that the die works as required. Of course,
once the die design is complete, all the
kinks are worked out and things are ready,
48 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2011 DEVELOP3D.COM
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●3 Forming operations the next stage is to start the preparation
can be analysed while for production.
also developing the In the first instance this can be the creation
blank outline and
of the toolpaths for machining the die
trim lines
plates, the punches and inserts. NX has an
●4 The strip layout can
enviable reputation as a CAM system and
be designed and then
simulated to verify has many strengths - not only in terms of
design performance production machining of plates by milling/
●
5 NX includes an drilling cycles or wire EDM, but also in terms
extensive library of die of machining the inserts. These can often
bases and components be complex requiring-5 axis machining for
that can be configured
successful and efficient creation. Alongside
to include proprietary
standard parts the machining considerations, it’s also
worth noting the wealth of tools available to
●
6 Design automation
can help to define assist with documenting the die - not only in
freeform forming terms of manufacturing, but also in terms of
punch and die sets assembly, installation and maintenance.
●
7 An example of a
progressive die design Intelligence & design change
with NX We’re all used to design change being
part of our workflow - it’s a fact of life and
is as much a part of the engineer’s working
day as anything else. When it comes down
to progressive die design, however, design
change can be a nightmare - unless the system
has been designed to handle it efficiently.
This has been built into NX so it can be
done from the very start of a project - and by
that I mean, from the Request For Quotation
(RFQ) stage. Most typical die design projects
are quoted on a rough estimate of how
complex the tooling is, but particularly
for those working in a supply chain this is
commonly offset against the margins made
on unit price for the resultant parts. That can
give a real headache.
If you underquote on the tooling, perhaps
as a result of miscalculating how many stages
and how quickly the parts can be produced,
then the chances are that you’ll have got the
unit costs wrong as well. While a component
might appear ‘easy’ to manufacture, anyone
with experience in the field will tell you that
simple mistakes can be the most costly - and
with today’s economic pressures, that can be
a costly mistake too many.
By allowing users to take a component from
part geometry, through unfolding and strip
layout in a very short space of time and then
even into die base layout, the system gives
a real opportunity to evaluate the process
of producing the mould and components in
the same timeframe that many users might
take just to do the unfolding. Then with a
much clearer idea of the complexity of the
task at hand, that information can be fed
into the quotation process to help ensure
competitiveness is based on fact, rather than
guess work and estimation.
Moving on from RFQ and into production
preparation, the tools in NX allow the
die layout to be adjusted very efficiently.
Because everything links back to both the
original part and the subsequent strip
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SOFTWARE REVIEW

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6 7

layout, the system allows users to drag and
drop stages, adapt folds, bends and punches
to not only ensure the required form is
created, but also so it makes the most
efficient use of material and that the die can
work throughout the required period.
Conclusion
NX Progressive Die Design, when considered
as a set of add-ons for NX, is an excellent
example of what can happen when a strong
and capable platform is combined with a
huge range of expert-led specialised tools.
Progressive Die Design is a very complex
process, both in terms of the complexity
of the product (the die), and the business
of manufacturing those components. With
economic pressures never being higher, the
ability to not only turnaround quotes, but
also the final product, in short timeframes is
absolutely essential.
The chances are that if you’re looking
for a tool like this, then you’re working in a
sub-contract environment and that can only
make things more critical. Excessive material
scrap has to be minimised, the ability to
iterate a die design to accommodate new
design changes is key and you need to know
that you’re working on a profitable project
and meeting customer demands. Of course,
the same is true for those working in-house
manufacturing projects.
In summary Siemens PLM has managed to
build an environment that brings specialist
knowledge and automation to the fore,
supporting the industry it’s meant to serve
and providing a functionally rich set of
tools to take a part from geometry, through
unfolding and strip layout, into die design
and machining, in as short of a space of
time as is possible. But within that idealised
automated workflow, it’s also possible for the
manufacturing engineer to dive in and fine
tune, reuse and adapt data where required.
And we can’t ask much more, can we?

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