The development process of press tools for the production of structural components for large-scale automotive production takes up to 24 months and thus has a considerable time, monetary and resource-intensive significance in the vehicle development process. Due to high precision requirements, iterative, often manual, adaptation of the tool geometry is necessary so that components with reproducible quality can be produced in high volumes. As a result, the tool design process is highly dependent on the knowledge and skills of individual experts. From the first CAD design to the transfer of the finished press tool into series production, large amounts of data are generated, in which previously untapped potential for the early identification of target-oriented machining measures lies. In this project, these data are to be recorded in the form of a digital twin and brought into context with one another.

Based on this, assistance systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) are to be developed so that target-oriented optimization measures for various process steps can be provided quickly. As a result, the tool development process can be shortened, costs and time can be reduced and resources can be saved. For this purpose, a digital twin is to be developed that captures and stores the different data along the tool engineering and puts them into context with each other. EKS InTec specifies and models this Digital Tool Twin and designs and implements the associated IT infrastructure in the form of data structures and persistence using standards.

This Digital Tool Twin is the starting point for the application of AI algorithms for the use cases of die face creation, die build process and tryout. It is constantly being added to, updated, and expanded. Existing historical data sets must also be integrated, as well as digitized expert knowledge.

Project will run from January 2021 to December 2024.

The TooliNG research project is funded by the European Union and supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK).