Project: Development of accurate 3D roll forming technology and machine for the manufacturing of automotive profiles

FUTROLL is a joined project, EUROSTARS 2012 call, to design and manufacture a high quality 3D roll forming machine for the automotive industry._x000D__x000D_Nowadays, body in white components, are COly manufactured by stamping and welding, being the tooling very high, especially for long parts and the process very rigid (no geometrical variations are accepted since the tool is a rigid and cannot be modified form part to part)._x000D_One alternative, which has been proven to be very efficient, energetically and economically, is the flexible or 3D roll forming technique. This technology has been applied successfully in construction but when transported to automotive industry, the errors and accuracy is not enough COly due to the sharp geometry transitions used in this sector. However, the design of a machine fulfilling these requirements can drastically change the current design procedure in the automotive industry, reducing the final cost and environmental impact, since the energy consumption is small and families of profiles can be fabricated with the same tooling. New market size in unknown but being the technological impact so big several machines could be sold in the near future._x000D__x000D_The CO companies of the project are ORTIC, having developed several 3D roll forming machines but no one with the expected accuracy and producing automotive shapes and FAGOR ARRASATE, one of the biggest roll forming and press maker in Europe. Consortium is completed by the respective usual collaboration universities, DALARNA UNIVERSITY and MONDRAGON UNIVERSITY, doing the more scientific work._x000D__x000D_The project represents a strategic project for both companies, since they have signed a collaboration framework to exploit the 3D roll forming line. ORTIC is expert in 3D roll forming and FAGOR Is expert on peripherics, pre and post operations for profiles and integration of all the machinery in industrial environments, specially automotive industry all over the world._x000D__x000D_The project must finish with the assembly of an pre-industrial 3D roll forming line (called industrial line hereafter), where pre and post operations will be also included to manufacture high accuracy automotive parts. The machine will be presented at the end of the project by the two companies and introduced to the market as a joined product._x000D__x000D_

Acronym	FUTROLL (Reference Number: 7414)
Duration	03/09/2012 - 27/02/2015
Project Topic	FUTROLL is a project to develop a roll forming concept to manufacture 3D profiles for the automotive industry through the improvement of finite element models. A industrial line including pre and post operations and flexible roll forming line will be manufactured and automotive parts produced.
Project Results (after finalisation)	Development and manufacturing of a flexible slitter. A lot of testing has been done to determine the limits of the machine. The objective parts of the project has been produced with the slitter.
Network	Eurostars
Call	Eurostars Cut-Off 8

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
4	DALARNA UNIVERSITY	Partner	Sweden
4	FAGOR ARRASATE S.COOP.	Partner	Spain
4	MONDRAGON GOI ESKOLA POLITEKNIKOA J.M.A. S.COOP.	Partner	Spain
4	ORTIC AB	Coordinator	Sweden