Periodic Reporting for period 3 - RUSH AI (Revolutionary Ultra-Fast System for Hot-stamping of light weight structural vehicle components with Artificial Intelligence quality control monitoring)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-03-01 bis 2022-10-31
The project objective is to introduce deep tech innovation in the automotive manufacturing sector by taking advantage of innovative die manufacturing and Big Data/Artificial Intelligence technologies. We adapt them to our purposes and demonstrate its disruptive approach to smart continuous-like hot-stamping processes by setting the positive business case and good quality. RUSHAI's value proposition to OEMs and hot-stampers is based on the unique combination of advanced manufacturing press tooling and intelligent quality monitoring in real time for hot-stamping with unique features. From the very beginning, the Consortium aimed their R&D efforts at developing a unique solution like no other technology in the market, with the following innovative advantages:
a) Versatility: It is applicable for BIW and chassis, for 22MnB5, 27MnCrB5, and 37MnB4 steel grades. RUSHAI allows hot-stamping of tailored components, not possible with SoA hot-stamping technology.
b) Weight reduction: with newly developed UHSS of up to 2,000 MPa, 30% of the weight can be reduced while achieving the same performance (e.g. a 1.6 mm thickness component can be manufactured with 1.1 mm thickness). Extremely fast cooling by RUSHAI technology promotes a very high and homogenous component quality, even for ultra-high strength steels (1800-2000 MPa).
c) Component Cost Reduction: E.g. B-Pillar components are manufactured today at an average hot stamping cost of €1.9-3.5 €/part (excluding raw material and post-stamping costs). Based on the manufacturing cycle time, material savings and scrap reductions of RUSHAI technology a cost of 1.1-2.2 €/produced component can be achieved.
d) Production: With a similar investment price (between 2-6M€ per line), the production output is increased by 3. The production of larger components enables a reduction of assembly steps.
e) Safety: The unique real-time quality control monitoring system, based on Big Data /AI technology, enables close to 100% quality assurance at each single point of each produced component, instead of a destructive and localised batch quality control. The integrated RUSHAI system incorporates an intelligent (predictive) and self-corrective online quality control monitoring system with developed temperature sensors, coupled to a Big Data/Artificial Intelligence engine that will be able to map in real-time and online the temperature of the die’s surface and correlate it directly with the final microstructure and properties of each component manufactured.
f) Tool lifetime can be extended by 50% (up to 700K strokes). Due to ultra-fast energy removal, the mechanical and thermal solicitation on the die is significantly reduced compared to current technology.
g) Flexibility and scalability, the sector is demanding more and more BIW parts to be hot-stamped. RUSHAI technology allows for the reshaping of dies in order to accommodate to the requirements of new hot-stamping projects.
h) RUSHAI can upgrade existing manufacturing lines, facilitating adoption not only through the construction of new production lines, but also by upgrading existing ones.
i) The novel hot-stamping configuration prevents the production of defective components, as defects and can be avoided nearly completely through the real-time quality detection system based on Big Data / AI Technology.
j) Energy savings: Cycle time reduction, which will allow significant savings in the costs and energy consumption of the components production and will also increase productivity; fewer production lines will be necessary for the same output quantity, with the associated reduction in carbon footprint. Along with the production of larger, thinner and tailored properties components in the automotive sector, enabling a significant reduction of vehicle weight and CO2 emissions.
a) Versatility: It is applicable for BIW and chassis, for 22MnB5, 27MnCrB5, and 37MnB4 steel grades. RUSHAI allows hot-stamping of tailored components, not possible with SoA hot-stamping technology.
b) Weight reduction: with newly developed UHSS of up to 2,000 MPa, 30% of the weight can be reduced while achieving the same performance (e.g. a 1.6 mm thickness component can be manufactured with 1.1 mm thickness). Extremely fast cooling by RUSHAI technology promotes a very high and homogenous component quality, even for ultra-high strength steels (1800-2000 MPa).
c) Component Cost Reduction: E.g. B-Pillar components are manufactured today at an average hot stamping cost of €1.9-3.5 €/part (excluding raw material and post-stamping costs). Based on the manufacturing cycle time, material savings and scrap reductions of RUSHAI technology a cost of 1.1-2.2 €/produced component can be achieved.
d) Production: With a similar investment price (between 2-6M€ per line), the production output is increased by 3. The production of larger components enables a reduction of assembly steps.
e) Safety: The unique real-time quality control monitoring system, based on Big Data /AI technology, enables close to 100% quality assurance at each single point of each produced component, instead of a destructive and localised batch quality control. The integrated RUSHAI system incorporates an intelligent (predictive) and self-corrective online quality control monitoring system with developed temperature sensors, coupled to a Big Data/Artificial Intelligence engine that will be able to map in real-time and online the temperature of the die’s surface and correlate it directly with the final microstructure and properties of each component manufactured.
f) Tool lifetime can be extended by 50% (up to 700K strokes). Due to ultra-fast energy removal, the mechanical and thermal solicitation on the die is significantly reduced compared to current technology.
g) Flexibility and scalability, the sector is demanding more and more BIW parts to be hot-stamped. RUSHAI technology allows for the reshaping of dies in order to accommodate to the requirements of new hot-stamping projects.
h) RUSHAI can upgrade existing manufacturing lines, facilitating adoption not only through the construction of new production lines, but also by upgrading existing ones.
i) The novel hot-stamping configuration prevents the production of defective components, as defects and can be avoided nearly completely through the real-time quality detection system based on Big Data / AI Technology.
j) Energy savings: Cycle time reduction, which will allow significant savings in the costs and energy consumption of the components production and will also increase productivity; fewer production lines will be necessary for the same output quantity, with the associated reduction in carbon footprint. Along with the production of larger, thinner and tailored properties components in the automotive sector, enabling a significant reduction of vehicle weight and CO2 emissions.
From the project start, April 2019, a new automotive B-pillar in 22MnB5 has been redesigned according to the component performance targets with the direct support of FCA Product Engineering department. The new component is a monolithic material approach without reinforced patches and with a tailored tempering process to enable a performance local optimisation. The overall thickness has been settled to 1.8 mm together with the new Usibor 2000 material has been adopted.
The fast stamping process was defined together with its requirements: the current SOTA quenching process estimated on 6 seconds was challenged through the RUSH-AI technology to a >90% time reduction on the selected component (< 1 second). All these activities were performed in WP1 and WP3.
WP2 was dedicated to the innovative 0.5 TECH tool die development, including its material optimisation. The new tool has been redesigned to fulfil the fast cooling process specification and the final component performance local distribution.
In WP3, after the B-pillar component redesign, the activity was focused on the relevant press line specification definition (press cycle). FE simulation provided the force and velocity required in press cycle. A preliminary investigation on feeder units’ technology has been conducted to select the most suitable solution that guarantee short loading and unloading time. According to the press line specification, the press system design was started (currently running). So far the already completed activities are: press cycle parameters and press structure definition, feeder cycle determination, oven architecture, thermal cycle and press and line parameters to be monitored for process control. WP4 is focused on the process monitoring and quality control. Within this WP, the data acquisition infrastructure with the envisioned architecture has been defined, defining all the necessary sensors for the Quality Monitoring System (QMS) to be combined via the data pipeline. The data acquisition and process control development is currently in progress and a Big Data / AI software of DATASTORIES has been adapted to support the following two new features at a Proof-of-Concept level: 1) the multi-objective optimization and the 2) capability of reverse-engineering the obtained models by means of the internal optimizer
The fast stamping process was defined together with its requirements: the current SOTA quenching process estimated on 6 seconds was challenged through the RUSH-AI technology to a >90% time reduction on the selected component (< 1 second). All these activities were performed in WP1 and WP3.
WP2 was dedicated to the innovative 0.5 TECH tool die development, including its material optimisation. The new tool has been redesigned to fulfil the fast cooling process specification and the final component performance local distribution.
In WP3, after the B-pillar component redesign, the activity was focused on the relevant press line specification definition (press cycle). FE simulation provided the force and velocity required in press cycle. A preliminary investigation on feeder units’ technology has been conducted to select the most suitable solution that guarantee short loading and unloading time. According to the press line specification, the press system design was started (currently running). So far the already completed activities are: press cycle parameters and press structure definition, feeder cycle determination, oven architecture, thermal cycle and press and line parameters to be monitored for process control. WP4 is focused on the process monitoring and quality control. Within this WP, the data acquisition infrastructure with the envisioned architecture has been defined, defining all the necessary sensors for the Quality Monitoring System (QMS) to be combined via the data pipeline. The data acquisition and process control development is currently in progress and a Big Data / AI software of DATASTORIES has been adapted to support the following two new features at a Proof-of-Concept level: 1) the multi-objective optimization and the 2) capability of reverse-engineering the obtained models by means of the internal optimizer
In the second project year the 0.5 TECH tool die will be completed for final component production (WP2). After an initial experimental set-up campaign to demonstrate the fast cooling capability on component production the new fast press line will be installed and equipped with the 0.5 TECH tool die for a final RUSHAI objective exploitation. WP5 is focused on the final demonstrator activity. In the next months, the new tool die will be completed, assembled with all the inserts, and tested at one demo site by a dedicated experimental campaign. With these results, the data acquisition and process control systems will be tested and validated. Both the activities will be essential for the final RUSH-AI demo activity on the new fast press that will be manufactured (M19) and installed in months M21 in the final demo site. There the full system (0.5 TECH tool die, feeding system and fast press) will be validated in industrial condition. A drastic reduction of press closed and open die times, reaching a total cycle time of 5.0 seconds at pilot installation will be reduced below 4.0 seconds one year after FTI project concludes with Incorporation of intelligent real-time and on-line quality control monitoring system to reduce scraps, detect the tailored component area and control the process with corrective countermeasures.