SIMULATION SYSTEM FOR SELECTING AN ALLOY, AND A PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR A WORKPIECE TO BE PRODUCED HAVING AMORPHOUS PROPERTIES

Abstract

Simulation system for selecting an alloy and a production process for a workpiece to be produced having amorphous properties, wherein the system includes : an input unit, for inputting a requirements profile for the workpiece to be produced, at least one memory unit, to store information data, wherein the information data specifies information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a number of alloys for manufacturing workpieces having amorphous properties and information concerning production processes, an analysis unit, to simulate a number of workpieces according to the requirements profile and the information data to create simulation data, to assess the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile, to select an alloy and a production process for the workpiece to be produced from assessment, and an output unit, to output the selected alloy and the selected production process.

Claims

1. A simulation system for selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for a workpiece to be manufactured having amorphous properties, the system comprising: an input unit for inputting a requirements profile for the workpiece to be manufactured, at least one memory unit which is designed to store information data, wherein the information data specify information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a plurality of alloys for producing workpieces having amorphous properties and information concerning manufacturing methods, and wherein the requirements profile specifies geometric and/or mechanical and/or chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured, an analysis unit which is designed to simulate a plurality of workpieces according to the requirements profile and the information data to create simulation data, to assess the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile, to select an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured on the basis of the assessment, an output unit which is designed to output the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method.

2. The simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit comprises a first simulation unit which is designed to simulate, depending on the alloy and according to the requirements profile and the calculated properties, a mechanical load on the workpiece to be manufactured and to add information concerning the simulated mechanical load to the simulation data.

3. The simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit comprises a second simulation unit which is designed to simulate, depending on the alloy and according to the requirements profile and the information data, chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured and to add information concerning the simulated chemical properties to the simulation data.

4. The simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the information data specify information concerning at least one physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical property, in particular selected from: thermal properties of the alloy, media resistance of the alloy, chemical properties, amorphicity on the basis of a degree of contamination, load-dependent aging phenomena and/or cooling behavior of the alloy.

5. The simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is designed to make, according to the requirements profile, a preselection from alloys stored within the at least one memory unit and/or from manufacturing methods stored within the at least one memory unit, and a selection of an alloy and/or a manufacturing method takes place on the basis of the preselection.

6. The simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is designed to generate a data pair by associating the selected alloy (L) and the selected manufacturing method (V) with the requirements profile (A), to store the generated data pair in the at least one memory unit, to specify an alloy associated with the requirements profile and a manufacturing method associated with the requirements profile when a requirements profile stored in the memory unit is input.

7. A method for selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for a workpiece to be manufactured having amorphous properties, comprising the steps of: inputting a requirements profile of the workpiece to be manufactured, in particular by means of an input unit, wherein the requirements profile specifies geometric and/or mechanical and/or chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured, calculating mechanical and/or chemical and/or physical parameters, and comparing the calculated parameters with stored information data which contains information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a plurality of alloys for producing workpieces having amorphous properties, simulating a plurality of workpieces according to the requirements profile and the information data, creating simulation data on the basis of the simulations, and assessing the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile, selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured on the basis of the assessment, outputting the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein calculating properties of the workpiece to be manufactured which are specified by the requirements profile.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein in that the information data specify information concerning at least one physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties, in particular selected from: thermal properties of the alloy, media resistance of the alloy, chemical properties, amorphicity on the basis of a degree of contamination, load-dependent aging phenomena and/or cooling behavior of the alloy.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein making a preselection from stored alloys and/or stored manufacturing methods according to the requirements profile, selecting an alloy and/or a manufacturing method on the basis of the preselection.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein generating a data pair by associating the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method with the requirements profile, storing the generated data pair, outputting an alloy associated with a stored requirements profile and a manufacturing method associated with the requirements profile if the requirements profile is already stored.

12. A computerreadable storage medium containing instructions that cause at least one processor to implement a method according to claim 7 when the method is executed by the at least one processor.

13. A manufacturing plant for manufacturing a workpiece having amorphous properties, comprising: a simulation system for selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured according to, claim 1 and a manufacturing unit which is designed to manufacture a workpiece using the simulation system.

14. The manufacturing plant according to claim 13, wherein the manufacturing unit is designed as an injectionmolding device or as an additive manufacturing device.

15. A control method for controlling a manufacturing plant for manufacturing a workpiece having amorphous properties, for controlling a manufacturing plant according to, claim 13, wherein in that the manufacturing plant is operated with an alloy and a manufacturing method which are selected using a method comprising the steps of: inputting a requirements profile of the workpiece to be manufactured, in particular by means of an input unit, wherein the requirements profile specifies geometric and/or mechanical and/or chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured, calculating mechanical and/or chemical and/or physical parameters, and comparing the calculated parameters with stored information data which contains information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a plurality of alloys for producing workpieces having amorphous properties, simulating a plurality of workpieces according to the requirements profile and the information data, creating simulation data on the basis of the simulations, and assessing the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile, selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured on the basis of the assessment, outputting the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method.

Description

[0100] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:

[0101] FIG. 1 shows a schematic simulation system for selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for a workpiece to be manufactured having amorphous properties;

[0102] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a manufacturing unit, and

[0103] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a tool.

[0104] FIG. 1 shows a schematically illustrated simulation system 2. The simulation system 2 is designed to select an alloy and a manufacturing method for a workpiece 4 to be manufactured (cf. FIG. 4) having amorphous properties.

[0105] For this purpose, the simulation system 2 according to FIG. 1 comprises an input unit 6 which is used to input a requirements profile A for the workpiece 4 to be manufactured. This makes it possible for a user to provide the required properties of the workpiece 4 to be manufactured in the form of the requirements profile A to the simulation system 2 or to feed the simulation system 2 with the requirements profile A.

[0106] Furthermore, the simulation system 2 comprises at least one memory unit 8 which is designed to store information data I, wherein the information data I specify information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a plurality of alloys L for producing workpieces 4 and information concerning manufacturing methods V. For this purpose, the memory unit 8 can have, for example, a plurality of partitions and/or can be designed in multiple parts, i.e. composed of a plurality of sub-memory units. Furthermore, the memory unit 8 is communicatively and bidirectionally connected to an analysis unit 10.

[0107] In this case, the analysis unit 10 is designed to simulate a plurality of workpieces 4 according to the requirements profile A and the information data I. This is used to create simulation data. Furthermore, the analysis unit 10 is configured to assess the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile A, before of an alloy L and a manufacturing method V which are particularly suitable with regard to the requirements profile A of the workpiece 4 to be manufactured are selected on the basis of the assessment.

[0108] In order to realize the above method steps, the analysis unit 10 comprises a calculation unit 12, by means of which properties of the workpiece to be manufactured that are specified by the requirements profile A are calculated. Furthermore, the analysis unit 10 comprises a first simulation unit 14. By means of the first simulation unit 14, a simulation of a mechanical load on the workpiece 4 to be manufactured takes place on the basis of and according to the requirements profile A and the calculated properties. Subsequently, the information concerning the simulated mechanical load is added to the simulation data.

[0109] Analogously, the analysis unit 10 also comprises a second simulation unit 16 and a third simulation unit 18. A simulation of chemical properties of the workpiece 4 to be manufactured is carried out by means of the second simulation unit 16 according to the requirements profile A and the information data I. By means of the third simulation unit 18, manufacturing of the workpiece 4 is simulated by means of the manufacturing methods V contained in the memory unit 8. Both the information concerning the chemical properties, which is provided by the second simulation unit 16, and the information concerning the simulated manufacturing, which is generated by the third simulation unit 18, are subsequently added to the simulation data and used for a selection of a suitable alloy L and of a suitable manufacturing method V as part of the assessment by the analysis unit 10. The selection and the assessment are carried out in such a way that the alloy L and the manufacturing method V which fulfill or at least substantially fulfill the properties of the workpiece 4 to be manufactured, defined by the requirements profile A, are selected. If a plurality of alloys L and/or a plurality of manufacturing methods V come into consideration, the analysis unit 10 selects the alloy L and the manufacturing method V which are most suitable with regard to higher-level preferences, for example with regard to cost efficiency.

[0110] After the selection of the suitable alloy L and the suitable manufacturing method V by the analysis unit 10, the selected alloy L and the selected manufacturing method V are output by an output unit 20. The output unit 20 can, for example, be an optical output unit 10 in which the output is effected on a screen.

[0111] According to one embodiment, the analysis unit 10 is designed to generate a data pair by associating the selected alloy L and the selected manufacturing method V with the requirements profile. In this case, the generated data pair is stored in the memory unit 8. If a requirements profile A stored in the memory unit 8 is now input, an alloy L associated with the requirements profile A and a manufacturing method V associated with the requirements profile A are specified, without a simulation taking place.

[0112] In one embodiment, it is conceivable for the simulation system 2 to have an artificial neural network to optimize the selection of the suitable alloy L and/or the suitable manufacturing method V.

[0113] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a manufacturing unit 38, which is designed as an AMM (amorphous metal) injection-molding plant. The manufacturing unit 38 comprises a mold in the tool 40 and a melting chamber 42. The melting chamber 42 is supplied with a solid alloy segment of an amorphously solidifying alloy (blank) 44 by a robot and is placed centrally in an induction coil 46. The blank 44 (“4” instead of “44” in the figure) is heated within the melting chamber 42 by means of a heating element, in particular an induction field which is generated by the induction coil 46. The blank 44 is a solid alloy segment of an amorphously solidifying alloy. The alloy segment 44 comprises, for example, a certain amount of palladium, platinum, zirconium, titanium, copper, aluminum, magnesium, niobium, silicon and/or yttrium.

[0114] The blank 44 is melted by the heating element or the induction coil 46, so that it is present in molten form. Preferably, the blank 44 is heated to a temperature of 1050° C. The molten material is injected into the tool 40 by a plunger 48.

[0115] FIG. 3 shows the schematic structure of an injection-molding tool 40. The molding chamber 52 is filled with a melt by means of one or a plurality of openings 50 leading into a molding chamber 52 of the tool 40. The molding chamber 52 is designed as a negative mold of the workpiece 4 to be produced. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, it is provided that an opening 50 can be used to guide liquid material into the molding chamber 52. It can be advantageous to use a plurality of sprues for filling the molding chamber 52 in order to achieve a uniform temperature distribution and to reduce turbulence of the melt. A uniform temperature distribution and a small number of turbulences lead to a better cooling operation, to homogeneous cooling and thus to uniform amorphous material properties.

[0116] The liquid material must rapidly cool down within the molding chamber 52 in order to prevent crystallization. The cooling of the liquid material depends greatly on the geometry of the component or workpiece 4 to be produced.

[0117] The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment described above. Rather, other variants of the invention can also be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all individual features described in connection with the exemplary embodiment can also be combined with one another in another way without departing from the subject matter of the invention.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs 2 Simulation system 4 Workpiece 6 Input unit 8 Memory unit 10 Analysis unit 12 Calculation unit 14 First simulation unit 16 Second simulation unit 18 Third simulation unit 20 Output unit 22 Artificial neural network 24 Input data 26 Feature detectors 28 First fold 38 Manufacturing unit 40 Tool 42 Melting chamber 44 Blank of an amorphously solidifying alloy 46 Induction coil 48 Plunger 50 Opening 52 Molding chamber A Requirements profile I Information data L Alloy V Manufacturing method