„bNX Templates“

Easy and fast construction of toolings

The Bihler technology software bNX is the tried and tested design software for stamping and forming tools that provides a fast and easy path to a manufacturing concept and the construction of the tool.

The fact that progressive tooling, wire and Bihler technology can all be mapped cohesively to a single model structure in a seamless, transparent process is something entirely unique. This process includes all the necessary steps and starts as early as the customer inquiry and preparation of the offer. This is followed by the methodology plan for the 3D stages, strip design, tool design, kinematics and simulation of the processes. The final step is to output the travel profile, which is then entered in the VC 1 controller. The bNX solution is also a fundamental component of the LEANTOOL concept for an even simpler, faster and cheaper way to produce new tools.

High level of consistency

Thanks to the high level of process consistency, all users of the bNX solution benefit from extremely short development times, significantly lower development costs, optimized products with higher quality and reliable tools with higher production rates. The bNX templates form an esential part of the bNX solution. They are samples or templates in the sense that they provide a roadmap for the optimum design of Bihler projects. As early as the product engineering phase, bNX templates can ensure that a project is designed according to the Bihler standard. Even alternatives can be identified quickly, reliably and cost-effectively. The greater the effort involved in product engineering and the higher the complexity of the product, the more successful the results can be when using bNX templates. In an entirely practical way, they have been proven to ensure optimum process development, increase standardization in the company process and allow reserve capacity to be identified, and all with built-in safety margins. Furthermore, reliable cost information also ensures commercial transparency and leads to systematic engineering within a company. The bNX templates can be used both for NC-control technology and for mechanical production. Depending on the application and use in the overall process, the templates can be divided into geometric, kinematic and scientific bNX templates.

Geometric bNX templates

Around 1,000 geometric bNX templates offer a huge amount of Bihler expertise for the actual machine layout. This can be generated at the touch of a button using the standardized 3D templates, thus considerably accelerating the design process. Initial information is revealed in graphical interfaces and can thus be uniquely assigned to a project. Additional control elements such as text boxes or sliders can be used to tailor the information to each of the tasks. This means that users always remain within the required minimum and maximum values, which provides additional safety in the design process. Extensive additional documentation further supplements the engineering expertise. This includes in particular PDF documents with precise values for exact dimensioning.

Kinematic bNX templates

The kinematic bNX templates are used after the design phase and focus on movements. In concrete terms, this makes the job of dimensioning and designing the Bihler process modules simple and more precise when engineering stamping and bending tools. All kinematic data, for instance for a slide or even pick and place machines, is recorded in the templates and stored in the software. This means that here also, users are guided reliably within the maximum and minimum permitted values. Virtual product engineering means that the potential performance that is available is optimally utilized and up-front simulation of various scenarios significantly reduces the development risk. And the bNX templates also reduce design times to a minimum. Time savings of at least 30 to 40 percent are absolutely realistic.

Scientific bNX templates

The scientific bNX templates integrate such things as tools for finite element analysis (FEM). These are based on material characteristics supplied either directly by the material manufacturer or by universities and further education institutes with whom we cooperate. This makes it possible, as early as the planning phase, to realistically represent the behavior of a component during the bending process. Initial templates are expected to be available next year. Beyond this, work is underway on bNX templates for the virtual dimensioning and commissioning of Bihler machines. This roadmap provides a perfect, homogeneous representation of the digital process. These scientific bNX templates are currently still being built and tested.