Cam Flanging Simulation

Learn how to set up and simulate a custom forming process with cam and flange tools.

Import the CAD Data

  1. From the File menu, select Import.
  2. In the Import File dialog, navigate to the file in the tutorials folder in the installation directory in Program Files\Altair\2021.2.1\InspireForm2021.2.1\tutorials\CAM_simple_model_crash.sta.
  3. From the File menu, select Import.
  4. In the Import File dialog, navigate to the file <installation_directory>\InspireForm2021.2.1\tutorials\cam_die.x_t.
    The model should look something like this:

Set Up a Custom Operation

  1. From the Tryout tab, select the Add operation icon.
  2. From the Add Operation dialog that appears, select Custom.
    The Custom forming operation is added to the Tryout ribbon. Because the Custom operation is user-defined, the user symbol appears on the icon.
  3. Click the Custom operation.
    The default tools are displayed. For the Custom operation, only the bottom die is included.
  4. Next to the default tools, click the Add Tool button .
  5. From the Add Tool dialog that appears, select the Top Die, Cam Die and Cam Pad tools.
    The tools are added to the operation for you to configure.


Define the Blank and Material

  1. On the Tryout tab, click the Blank icon.
  2. In the microdialog, click Single Blank for the blank type.
  3. On the model, select the blank.
    The blank turns red indicating your selection.
  4. To confirm the blank selection, on the model, select the blank again, or on the microdialog, click Assign.
  5. After assigning the blank, in the microdialog that appears, type in the material thickness and select a material of your choice for the blank.
    1. To edit the material further or to select a different material, click the ellipses button to access the Material Library.

Configure The Bottom Die

  1. Select the Custom operation you added to your analysis.
  2. From the tool set for the Custom operation, select the Bottom Die.


  3. On the guide bar, choose Part.
  4. On the model, select the part to designate as the bottom die.


  5. Click to confirm the configuration of the bottom die.

Configure the Top Die

  1. Select the Custom operation you added to your analysis.
  2. From the tool set that appears, select the Top Die.
  3. On the guide bar, choose Surfaces.
  4. On the model, select the surface for the top die.
  5. On the guide bar, for the surface, select Offset.
  6. In the microdialog, keep the default value 1.1836 mm for the offset. The default is the sheet thickness plus 20%.
  7. Click to accept the offset.

Configure the Cam Die

  1. On the ribbon, select the Cam Die you added to the crash form operation.
  2. On the guide bar, choose Surfaces.
  3. On the model, select the surface(s) to designate as the cam die.
  4. Click to confirm.
  5. In the microdialog, click the -/+ button to reverse the offset direction.
  6. For the offset distance, click to accept the default value, which is the sheet thickness plus 20%.
  7. In the microdialog, select Global X for the direction of the Cam Die.
    Your cam die should look something like this:

Configure the Cam Pad

  1. On the ribbon, select the Cam Pad you added to the crash form operation.
  2. On the guide bar, choose Surfaces.
  3. On the model, select the surface to designate as the cam pad.
  4. In the microdialog, keep the default value for the offset. The default is the sheet thickness plus 20%.
  5. Click to accept the offset distance.
  6. In the microdialog, click the option to apply a Force. For the Initial Force and the Final Force, keep the default values.
  7. Click to confirm the configuration of the cam pad.


Run the Custom Simulation

  1. From the Tryout tab, Run tools, click Run Analysis.
  2. In the Run Analysis dialog, type in a name, and click Run.
    Note: By default, the run name is the model name, and is saved in the run history directory that is specified in the Preferences.
    The Run Status dialog shows the progress of the simulation. A green check mark indicates that the run is completed.

Review the Simulation Results

The Analysis Explorer lets you choose a variety of results to review. An animation for each result type is included. By default, the results for thinning are displayed on the formed part. The results below show the results for Displacement.



  1. With the slider below the model, you can review the forming of the model.
    • Adjust the results slider to see what areas on your model are under the greatest thinning.
    • To animate the results, click the play button. To jump to the first or last step, click the left and right arrow buttons, respectively.
    • To adjust the animation settings for playback, display, or speed, on the slider, click .
  2. To view additional results, from the Analysis Exporer, select a Run, Operation, and Result Type.