ARGUS is a proven evaluation system for sheet metal stamping. Originally developed for the automotive industry, it is now widely used in steel and aluminum stamping factories and other institutions. ARGUS employs a PC and an industrial, digital CCD camera system. ARGUS measures the deformation of sheet metal in the stamping process, performing an automatic circle grid analysis of the entire part or areas of interest, for die verification, material forming verification and stamping lot quality control. The large number of data points and the graphic display of the results provides an easy verification of the entire shaping process.

To evaluate the stamping process, A regular dot pattern is etched onto the sheet metal surface, prior to forming. In the forming process (stamping, hydroforming, magnetoforming, etc.), this dot pattern is distorted as it deforms with the sheet, but it stays visible in spite of the forces and the frictions involved in the forming process. The shaped metal sheet is then grabbed from different views using a high resolution CCD camera. From the individual images, the evaluation software calculates the 3d-position of each dot and the relation to its neighboring points.The results are the 3d-coordinates of the dots on the sheet metal. From the differences of the dot distances the program calculates the strain and determines the forming limit diagram.

Common uses include:

- Optimizing the stamping, hydroforming or other forming process
- Estimating and optimizing multi-stroke stamping tools
- Detecting and verifying areas with critical deformations or wall thinning (hot spots)
- Verifying and optimizing numerical simulation programs for forming processes
- Assessing characteristics and quality of the material lots
- Die analysis and optimization
- 3D shape confirmation

Industries served:

- Automotive: manufacturing quality analysis and incoming material acceptance
- Metal stamping shops: R&D, quality control
- Tool and Die Making: Verification of dies to produce sheet stampings

Contact us for more information about ARGUS: