OXFORD CITY, UK, -- The production of manufacturing tools and dies for automotive parts has not changed significantly for more than 75 years. Back then, and even today, producing tools and stamping dies are among the highest cost and most time consuming operations of new vehicle programs. Today, Ford Motor Company and Oxford University are working to change that.

Ford Motor Company and Oxford University are opening a multi-million dollar research facility to develop a new, state-of-the-art process for making stamping dies and moulds for metal and plastic parts. Ford and Oxford University will manage the £1.5 million research programme jointly.

Known as spray-formed tooling, the innovative, rapid-tooling process creates tools and dies by spraying molten tool steel onto a low-cost mould.

"Using the traditional method, creating manufacturing tools and dies are among the most expensive and time consuming elements of a new vehicle program," said Dr. Charles Wu, director of Ford Manufacturing Systems and Vehicle Design Research Laboratory. "When perfected, the spray-formed tooling process will shave millions of dollars and several months off the production process."

The spray-formed tooling process reduces the number of steps and development time from approximately 12 steps and 15-25 weeks for the traditional method to five steps and three to four weeks. A portfolio of some 18 patents and patent applications protects the process innovations.

At the Ford Research Laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan, the new spray-form process has been applied to fabricate production tooling for a range of metal stamping applications.

"We have made several tools, which will be put into operation in production facilities in the US, Europe and Mexico," said Joe Szuba group leader of Ford's internal Rapid Tooling Development and Implementation Programme in Dearborn. "We are very pleased with the progress and way that our tools are performing in service."

The laboratory in Dearborn is in the process of creating a tool to make door latch reinforcements for the Focus produced at Ford's Degenham Assembly plant.

The process is currently capable of manufacturing tools up to about 24x24 inches. The researchers at Ford and Oxford University are now working to scale-up and package the technology to make much larger tool sets to meet Ford internal targets, and to make the technology available for license outside the automotive sector.

"Within two years we expect to be able to manufacture tool sets for stamping doors, hoods and other large body panels," said Allen Roche, Ford Research Laboratory technical specialist.

With funding from Ford and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Oxford University has installed a full scale state-of-the-art pilot manufacturing system in a new, dedicated laboratory.

"Ford is a global company, and in collaborative research, we always aim to work with the leaders in their field, regardless of geographical location. In this case, Oxford had the expertise and track record we were looking for," said Henry Fradkin, director, Ford Global Technologies.

The process starts out with a part design on computer. A three-dimensional model is produced from the computer design. A ceramic cast is made from the three-dimensional model, which is placed in the spray chamber. A robotic sprayer carefully sprays steel over the ceramic cast to create a dimensionally accurate thick steel shell. The ceramic cast is removed, and the tool is finished and ready for use.

The Oxford University research is led by Dr. Patrick Grant, a specialist in materials processing, from the Department of Materials, and Dr. Stephen Duncan from the Department of Engineering Science who is an expert in industrial control.

"It is extremely exciting to be working with one of the world's largest companies on a new technology with the potential to impact all spheres of manufacturing. Ford management has provided access to their in-house expertise and has encouraged us to understand the upstream and downstream implications of spray-form tooling. This has helped us to identify the key technological barriers we must overcome," said Grant.

"Spray-form tooling works well for small tool sets. Ford researchers are continuously scaling-up the process. However, the process requires improved robustness and must be suitable for use by the non-specialist. We will integrate all the complex sub-procedures of the process, such as robot motion and vision systems, using our own process control software," added Duncan.

The production scale facility is based at Oxford University's new Begbroke Business and Science Park, five miles north of Oxford City Centre. The process control systems for scale-up will be developed in this facility, which also will have the capacity to manufacture development and production tools for both internal use by Ford and for third party customer evaluation - particularly where there is third party interest in licensing the technology.

Spray-formed tooling was first developed at Sprayform Developments - a small UK-based development company that was founded in 1988 by Prof. Richard Singer of Swansea University in South Wales. The company was bought by Dick Jordan and Allen Roche in 1994, and the name was changed to Sprayformed Holdings Ltd. Ford acquired the company in 1999. Jordan and Roche are now with Ford and continuing to work on the program.

The Department of Materials and the Department of Engineering Science at Oxford University undertake internationally rated, inter-disciplinary research in collaboration with a large number of organizations worldwide. A substantial percentage of their research project income is direct from industry. Both departments have established a number of University Technology Centres with industrial support to provide long-term research links with particular sectors of industry. Exploitation of technology developed at Oxford University is undertaken by Isis Innovation Ltd., which has set up 16 new companies since 1997.

   - Autoworld.com

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