The purpose of simulation application is to improve process technology methods, improve product quality, master the process of cold bending molding, reduce roll repair and modification design, and save production debugging costs. The simulation of cold bending forming process cannot be separated from the experience of roller designers and the installation and debugging process of forming equipment. The simulation without experience and process knowledge of cold bending forming process is meaningless and can have serious consequences in practical applications. Designers must be trained to become experts in finite element simulation technology, and simulation software must use the professional terminology of cold bending molding designers. The cycle of roller development can sometimes be as long as several months, but generally only a few weeks. Therefore, a set of roller designs can only be used for a maximum of one to two weeks, with roller processing (turning, grinding, quenching) time remaining. Even using advanced software and high-speed personal computers, finite element simulation of the cold bending process can take hours or even days. The simulation calculation time can be minimized by using the following methods: pre optimizing the roll group using a simulation analysis model; Optimize the roller group using finite element analysis. The best method is to analyze using professional software packages from the cold forming industry.

The first step in roller optimization is geometric simulation. Factors that must be considered for the geometric characteristics of the system include: molding curve, roller diameter, plate thickness, cross-sectional shape, roller type, and some material properties. The main goal of the simulation is to determine the minimum forming passes according to the requirements of the user's product, and smoothly distribute the forming work among these passes. The simulation can complete the calculation of each optimization variable in just a few seconds, helping the roller designer quickly determine the optimized pass number and forming process sequence from the initial assumption. The main idea of simulation is that the surface shape of the deformation zone between adjacent passes can be described by a specific deformation curve. The deformation curve is a section curve of the edge of a formed section before entering the next pass. It can be imagined that using straight lines to describe deformation curves is too simplified and does not match the actual situation. In the past, a large number of studies have used sine curves and polynomial functions to describe the shape of deformation zones, and a large number of experiments and finite element simulations have been conducted, making these research results more consistent with actual projects. Now software can analyze the deformation length based deformation that occurs in the forming direction and cross section

In order to validate the optimized roller design, finite element simulation must be performed. As an important component of quality management, the simulation goal is to verify and verify the roll design and seek solutions to specific problems in cold bending technology. Finite element simulation has been applied in the following aspects of cold bending forming: welded pipe industry: suitable for the forming of multi gauge plate thickness rollers, side vertical rollers, release angle, plate and strip edge waves after opening the pass, welding quality, roller wear (caused by excessive local contact pressure), free deformation, sizing quality, welding compensation, and so on. Profiled plate cross sections: pocket shaped waves, thinning of the bending region, arcing of linear components, plate edge waves, non ideal metal flow, and so on. Open and closed sections: This includes all the above content for welded pipe forming and profiled plate sections, as well as some unique issues such as pre punching deformation, material hardness, bending rebound, and contour dimensions such as height/width/thickness ratio.

The results and information of the finite element simulation can be used to verify the roller design and further optimize it. In most cases, cold forming enterprises themselves do not have such research institutes capable of conducting professional inspections. Even with research institutes, it is difficult to effectively cooperate with research due to differences in the professional language of finite element analysis personnel and cold bending molding designers. Therefore, using improved finite element simulation software design suitable for cold bending is a good choice. Such software can automatically establish a finite element simulation model: generate sufficient elements, reasonable boundary conditions, and optimized simulation settings

In addition, finite element simulation software can more clearly express the results using the professional terminology of cold bending molding. Users can operate virtual cold bending molding machines. Experiments that used to be required in practice can now be done using simulation software, overcoming the limitations of having to be practiced in production lines and certain molding passes. It should be noted that the simulation software can be carried out during the roll design stage. This can save the following costs: production costs for useless rollers, rework costs for defective rollers, installation and commissioning time, and downtime for repair, adding technical know-how and experience for future project development

Industrial applications have confirmed the need for quality management: scanning the geometric profiles of rolls used in production and after a production cycle. Using the geometric data of actual rollers for finite element simulation can provide cold bending molding engineers with practical information about cold bending production lines. The roller wear and critical state can be found through maintenance. The stable use of rollers can not only reduce production costs, but also comprehensively improve product quality. The first step of rapid optimization design is based on geometric simulation software. After the roller design, further one or two rounds of finite element simulation analysis are used to verify the design results. The concept of industrial application value is reflected in reducing design costs, reducing debugging costs, and improving the level of cold bending technology in enterprises.