Zurich, Switzerland, September 29, 2009: AutoForm Engineering GmbH, the leading supplier of software solutions for the sheet metal forming industry, has developed a new innovative function for progressive die stamping – AutoForm plus R1 provides a physical model for pilots. Pilots play an important role in progressive die stamping for strip positioning.

Metal stamping companies are faced with today's quickly changing and increasingly competitive market place, which demands a variety of innovative and high quality stamping products. At the same time, cost reduction and ever shorter delivery times are imperative. Progressive die stamping meets these requirements and is widely used in various industries, such as automotive, electronics and appliances.

Pilots play an important role in progressive die stamping – they fix the strip into an appropriate position and maintain control over the strip. In addition, they are essential for precise sheet positioning during tool closing and drawing operations in transfer dies. In its constant efforts to provide users with the best solutions, AutoForm has developed a new physical model to simulate pilots. This model can realistically simulate the contact, separation, sliding and rotation of the sheet around the pilots. Pilots can be defined not only by their position but also by their dimensions, such as radius and height. This new function , already incorporated into AutoForm plus   R1, brings a new level of accuracy to AutoForm users who work in the field of progressive die stamping.

Progressive die stamping: Progressive die stamping is a metal forming process widely used to produce parts for various industries, such as automotive, electronics and appliances. A progressive die consists of several individual work stations. Each work station performs one or more different operations on the part. The part is carried from station to station by the stock strip and is cut out of the strip in the final operation. The benefits of progressive die stamping are increased productivity and significant cost reduction for high-volume production.

About AutoForm Engineering GmbH

AutoForm offers software solutions for the die-making and sheet metal forming industries along the entire process chain. With over 200 employees, AutoForm is recognized as the leading provider of software for product manufacturability, tool and material cost calculation, die face design and virtual process optimization. All of the Top 20 automotive OEMs and most of their suppliers have selected AutoForm as their software of choice. Besides its headquarters in Switzerland, AutoForm has offices in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, USA, Mexico, India, China, Japan and Korea. AutoForm is also present through its agents in more than 15 other countries. For detailed information please visit : www.autoform.com