INPRO Innovationsgesellschaft mbH Berlin

In automotive construction it is becoming increasingly important to be able to reliably predict the influences of manufacturing on component characteristics. The requirements for safety and comfort are increasing. At the same time, lightweight construction requires a reduction in fuel consumption. Manufacturing costs must be reduced while at the same time increasing quality requirements. Simulation of manufacturing processes is therefore a key technology. As a result, the construction of individual processes is no longer sufficient. Manufacturing processes have achieved a level of complexity, where changes or variations in a process step can also have effects much later on. 

A few years ago, the combination of simulated structural analysis of thermoformed and welded sheet metal, aided by INPRO's DATOR software, was used to demonstrate that simulations may only match the results of experiments, when several manufacturing steps are taken into consideration.