In the project, intelligent cushion pins with integrated force measurement technology were to be developed which record the die cushion forces directly in the forming tool. The measurement data was to be transmitted wirelessly to the machine control system or to an evaluation tablet, with which a digital "fingerprint" of the actual force conditions can be calculated and visually displayed. This fingerprint then serves as an aid for reworking new molds during production changeovers, but also during ongoing production for condition monitoring. In this way, tool wear can be detected at an early stage, for example, and capital tool damage can be prevented. Through the exact knowledge of the real force conditions in the surface contact between tool and blank, the familiarization process of new or reworked forming tools can be significantly shortened and improved for the end user by replacing the trial-and-error principle that has been applied up to now due to the incomplete process knowledge. This is precisely where the idea of the "SmartCushionPin 4.0" project comes in. Intelligent die cushion pins with integrated force measurement technology record the die cushion forces directly in the forming tool. The measurement data is transmitted wirelessly to the machine control system or to an evaluation tablet, where a digital "fingerprint" of the actual force conditions is calculated and visually displayed. On the one hand, this fingerprint serves as an aid for reworking new tools. On the other hand, the fingerprint can also be used during ongoing production for condition monitoring, whereby a permanent comparison of the recorded actual forces with the permissible process/tool limits takes place. This allows, for example, tool wear to be detected at an early stage and capital tool damage to be prevented. The handling of the smart cushion pins is largely the same as that of standard cushion pins. Since this does not result in any additional assembly work, a high level of acceptance on the part of users can be expected.
