PROFIL Full Version plus:
PROFIL Full Version plus:
Note: Needs the FEA system LS-Dyna
The PROFIL software by UBECO has got many advantages over its competitors in the sector these can be listed as:
Built-in preloaded section definition for standard sections as well as capability of Creating profiles by entering the dimensions into the system, by importing a CAD contour or by using the design toolbox for profiles, or by combining these tools to get define more complex sections.
Trustable design assistant for your profile designs. determining the neutral line and calculating the flat strip length of the section and also calculation of all the important data for the bending process such as spring back and the stress of the band edge.
Speeding up your work by designing the flower pattern. Modifying the angle and radius of bends has never been made this simple by means of modify toolbox to create the bending steps. Constant length or constant radius methods can be chosen according to your specific design.
Optimize your design by modifying the flower. Real-time calculation and monitoring of changes to the flower can be tracked and screened for stresses on the sheet metal.
Accelerate your roll design by directly using the profile contour or any contour drawn in CAD. Use the powerful commands to modify the rolls to your individual needs. Create roll drawings just by few clicks. Dimensioning of the Roll tool drawings are done automatically.
Ease of access to parts lists and NC-programs (DIN 66025) for manufacturing of the roll tools
High-quality and satisfied roll tool can be achieved by checking the final design with the calculation of stress of band edge, the profile stress analysis (PSA), and the finite element simulation (FEA).
Efficient Management of roll stock which helps searching for suited rolls, if existing old rolls of the roll stock should be re-used in a new project.
Easy navigation for recent projects, if the designer wants to consider experience from similar profiles that are produced in the past.
Likewise, working with CAD software, the drawing of the flower pattern and roll tools are available in real-time. Every change made to the rolls and/or flower pattern can be displayed simultaneously. This feature improves the user-friendliness of the PROFIL software, which enables the user to try different bending scenarios in few clicks.
Profile Design
Enter the desired profile geometry, either graphically by CAD or numerically into the system. Or using the profile toolbox for fast and convinient definition of U-, C- Hat- or Z-profiles. provides the drawing of the shaped profile before, after and inside the forming pass, the developed length, spring back and stress on the sheet.
Section Flower Design Feature
Drawings of the flower, the stress of band edge calculation for normal and centerline forming (natural forming, downhill forming), and the profile stress analysis are all provided for each section design.
Roll Tool Design
Definition of roll geometry and automatically provide all the rolls' drawings, the blank size and the weight, the parts list, and the NC-code for machining.
Verifying the Tool Design
In case you need further inspection of your specific profile during the roll-forming process, you may benefit from the Finite Element Analysis interface capability of PROFIL to verify the roll tool.
Creating the Manufacturing Data
Create the manufacturing data like parts list (sawing list), NC program, DXF files.
Profile Design Toolbox
The most efficient method for defining standard profiles like U-, C-, Hat- or Z-profiles is to use the Profile Design Toolbox.
Entering the numerical data
Another quick method for defining standard profiles is to enter the numerical data directly into the profile list. By the completion of numerical input by the user, the drawing of the profile is updated.
CAD drawing
The most convenient method for defining a profile of any kind is to importing the profile drawing directly into the PROFIL software.
Toolbox Modify
All angles and radiuses are automatically defined by the system immediately after defining the section. Every entity of the profile section can be modified, including radius and angles. The number of passages and the bending sequence can be defined conveniently by the user to obtain the desired Flower Design.
Entering the angle sequence
Alternatively, you can enter the new radius or angle of the arc segment directly into the Profile List's appropriate column. The profile will be bent on the selected bending method (A1, A2, A3 or A4), and the flower drawing will be updated immediately.
The flower pattern's automatic creation speedsaup the roll tool design for recurring types of profiles substantially. The required know-how isataken from a knowledge base that increases as the system is used. To use an existing table for a new profile with different angles, angles are converted to percentages related to the final angle and then be saved; thus, a company-specific knowledge base for different kinds of profiles is created thataincreases with every successful design. The crucial point is that not a software-based algorithm is used.
The designed flower pattern can be verified using quality management tools: the stress of band edge calculation, the profile stress analysis (PSA), and the "Virtual Roll Forming Machine" that simulates the roll forming process by FEA (Finite Element Analysis).
After designing the final-trapezoidal profile (by function Trapezoidal Profile or by CAD drawing), this function creates the flower pattern for-a trapezoidal profile automatically, either with a cosine band edge course or linear course with user-defined fillet radius as desired.
The cosine band edge course (left) creates a sine-course of the stress of the band edge (right). The advantage of this method is the very-smooth transition both from the-entering flat sheet and to the ready product-leaving the machine.
The linear band edge course (left) creates a linear-course of the stress of the band edge (right), and with it, the smallest-count of roll forming stands. Fillet radius at the machine entrance and exit prevents creases.
Automatic generation
For the rolls with the same contour as the profile, the automatic generation by scanning the profile is very useful.
Afterward, the rolls can be modified by integrated functions:
CAD design
Other than the Automatic roll design, the designer may want to define the roll’s contour by his-self. Simply transfer the profile drawing to CAD and design the desired roll contour by modifying the profile contour. Afterward, the roll contour can be transferred back to PROFIL. The functions for modifying the rolls can be used, too.
Multi Axles
The automotive industry and also other applications require more and more complex roll-formed profiles. In order to form such profiles on a roll forming machine, it often is necessary to have additional side axles with inclined angles that plunge into the-open cross-section. This makes it easier to form the inner radii precisely.-Technically, it is quite costly in terms of labor and time to adapt the machine and to mount special axle holders for each kind of profile individually. But this effort is-unavoidable if high precision profiles are required.
PROFIL enables designing rolls for additional side rolls with different inclinations angles.
The Tube Design Toolbox-contains a set of functions for designing:
By using PROFIL software, you may design and achieve an optimized solution for your closed section roll-forming process ranging from square section to round sections and much more complex geometries.
Example: designing the fin pass
Simply enter the fin width, the tube is automatically bent open to the given fin width.
Example: designing the top roll for a fin pass
Simply enter the roll width, the fin height, the fillet radii and the air gap between top and bottom roll. The roll is created automatically.
The developed length in roll form design
The developed length of each arc segment and with it the strip width normally is calculated dependent on sheet thickness, bend radius and angle. In reality, however, there are more dependencies. Also the material, the bending method and the bend angle sequence have influence. The user can select between a standard method, such as Oehler, DIN, centerline, or define user methods that can be equipped with empirical corrections. The latter are important in case larger angle increase is necessary because of limited count of stands and subsequently occurring deep drawing effects.
A1 - Constant developed length method
A2 - Constant radius method with compensation of the previous segment
A3 - Constant radius method with compensation of the next segment
A4 - Constant radius method with compensation of the previous and next segment
A4 - Track Holding Method
A5 - Angle-Radius Method for Springback Compensation
If the bent profile leaves the machine, the legs of the profile springs back. This spring back of the profile is calculated dependent on the material, the sheet thickness and the bending radius and angle.
If a profile is designed for a load-bearing construction and the strength calculation is necessary, the static parameters of the cross-section of the profile are needed. It is possible to modify the geometry of the profile and to watch the change of the statics simultaneously.
If the legs of a profile are bent step-by-step in consecutive sets of rolls, the edges travel a longer way than the web of the profile. This causes a strain and a stress in the edges. If this process is limited to the elastic area of the material, the strain and stretching will return to the original length again, as the profile leaves the stand. In the other case, if the stress of edge has exceeded the yield stress between two bending steps, this will cause a remaining strain in the material causing problems like bows or ripples or other unwanted deformation of the profile. The relative stress related to the yield stress is calculated and displayed in a separate window. By this, the designer can check if the safe load of the band edges is kept while bending.
The sheet surface is divided in small rectangular shell segments. The segment width and with it the precision of calculation can be defined by the user. Critical areas like the bending zones can be calculated with higher resolution. While running through the roll forming machine, the rectangles are formed to general quadrilaterals. From lengthening or shortening of the edges the expected strain and from it the stress can be derived. The stress related to the yield stress of the material is assigned to a color in the range between blue (0%), green (50%) and red (100%). In the 3D model critical areas can be detected by red colored shell segments. The designer can use the mouse wheel to rotate and zoom the model to examine any detail. The profile stress analysis is an integrated feature of the software PROFIL and works without FEA (Finite Element Analysis).
All necessary drawings are created automatically. The single pass (loaded or discharged), or the complete flower pattern in different views, or the roll tools for a stand can be displayed. All drawings can be saved into a file. DXF, IGES, and MI formats can be selected. By this, the drawings can be transferred to any CAD-system. In case of AutoCAD, SolidWorks, SolidEdge and BricsCAD.
Example: Flower 3D
The flower 3D gives a good impression of the rollforming procedure for use in assessing if the design can be optimized.
Dimensioning profiles and roll tools
Objects can be dimensioned associatively, meaning that if you modify any object, the dimensioning is modified automatically. The very important intersection point of the tangents of an arc is supported for dimensioning. The dimensioned drawings can be printed and transferred to CAD.
Creating the NC data
For manufacturing the designed rolls by a CN, there are three different ways :
NC-Code: The contour of the rolls is stored in form of G01 and G02/G03 machine commands
DXF: The drawing of the rolls is stored in DXF-format with polylines.
Corner points: The print protocol of the roll corner points (width, diameter and radius) is very useful for manual programming older machines without interface capabilities.
A prepared Drawing Template from a DXF file is opened and the stand drawing is created in the center. The dimensioning can be switched on and off as desired. The title block of the drawing is filled out automatically.
Instead of the rolls and the title block entries Variables are saved as placeholders. When the template later is reopened from another stand, the variables are replaced again by the rolls and title information from the new stand. Since the drawing template is a DXF file, it also can be modified by using any CAD system, if desired.
The created roll assembly drawing can be plotted directly without the help of a CAD system. It also can be transferred to any CAD system to plot it from there.
A third feature is to copy the drawing to the Windows clipboard in order to paste it into any other program.
PROFIL was designed to work closely with any CAD system and to allow drawing data transfer in both directions. The drawing data are transferred not only by file formats like DXF, STEP, and others, but also via the very comfortable ActiveX interface (known also as COM interface).
AutoCAD
The very comfortable ActiveX interface is used. Drawings to and from CAD are transferred not by interface file but directly via the operating system.
SolidWorks
PROFIL also supports the ActiveX interface. This enables 2D drawing exchange to and from a SolidWorks document Drawing and 3D model transfer to a SolidWorks document Part.
SolidEdge
This enables 2D drawing exchange to and from a Solidedge document Drawing. The 3D model transfer is planned, meanwhile please use the STEP file interface.
BricsCAD
ActiveX interface is used for the 2D transfer. This enables 2D drawing exchange to and from a BricsCAD document.
LOGOCAD Triga 4
The ActiveX interface is available in rel. 4.1 (and higher).
CoCreate ME10 or OneSpace Designer Drafting or PTC Creo Elements/Direct Drafting
The drawings are transferred via MI-file and contour file. CAD macros are available for controlling the data exchange.
Others
Data exchange is possible via DXF, IGES or contour file. It is recommended to create CAD macros for controlling the data exchange.
3D Models in CAD
The function creates the 3D model of the profile pass, the roll tools of a stand or of all stands of the whole roll forming line or tube forming line. This feature is useful e.g. for designing the side roll support or for machine manufacturer who wants to insert the roll tools in the prepared machine drawing.
3D Models in STEP Format
STEP interface in accordance with DIN ISO 10303 is used. As desired, the 3D model of the profile pass, the current stand, or of all stands of the whole roll forming line or tube forming line can be exported.
Examples (left): Profile in STEP format, roll tools in SolidWorks for a C profile and for a welded tube.
The designer of cold roll-formed profiles may re-use rolls from older projects for reducing the cost. To find suited rolls for his project, he needs the roll stock management.
Features:
Database format SQL 64bit.
Roll database window, each line represents one roll (bottom window). The matching drawing of the roll is quickly generated and displayed while browsing through the database (top right window).
Any filters can be defined, named, saved and reloaded by the user for selecting the desired rolls (top left window).
Transfer of the selected roll to and from the profile project using the clipboard.
Transfer of the selected roll directly to CAD.
Quick input of the dimensions of rolls by hand directly into the database windows. The drawing is immediately refreshed to check the correct input.
