BID: A knowledge-based system to automate blocker design

In closed-die forging with flash, design of blockers is of critical importance. However, while finite element method-based computer simulation programs are gaining wider acceptance to evaluate completed die designs, actual die design itself still remains predominantly manual because determination of the proper blocker configuration is a very difficult task, an art acquired only through years of experience. Efforts to computerize blocker design so far are primarily based either on interactive graphics, or a set of fixed design procedures which do not take into account design variations due to geometry and/or process variables. This paper describes the development of an automated blocker design system named BID (Blocker Initial-guess Design), developed using the knowledge-based systems approach, which attempts to take these design variations into consideration.