Design and optimisation of an ultrasonic die system for forming metal cans

A new manufacturing process has been developed for reducing the diameter of one end of a tinplate can by over 30%. Conventional processes are limited to a maximum of 10% reduction and typically operate at less than 5%. The improvement was achieved by using special tooling and ultrasonic excitation of the die to reduce the forming force. Ultrasonics have been used in this way before but without a full understanding of the numerous modes of vibration of the die, and how they interact, the efficiency of earlier systems was low. Finite element analysis has been used to characterize the natural modes and frequencies of radial-mode ultrasonic dies and this has led to the development of highly efficient systems. In special cases a non-round die has been required to overcome undesirable modal characteristics; optimum shapes have been developed. A completely new method of mounting the ultrasonic dies was designed and its geometry optimized (again using finite element analysis) to further improve the efficiency of the system. The new system operates at an amplitude under load approximately three times greater than the earlier equipment. The reduction in forming force (between 30 and 60%) makes the difference between success and failure for the manufacturing process.