How we provide our customers with viscoelastic material data ?

Accuform cooperates with IKT Stuttgart on the testing of plastics used in thermoforming and blow molding.

ECC founded TMC project started in 2002, focussed on development of a cheap and reliable method of material testing for thermoforming and blow molding. More details are on this page.

Materials used for thin sheets are tested at IKT using a special machine measuring force - deflection curves. The testing method is similar to the plug assisted forming with both the large strain and the high strain rate.

The resulting force - deflection curves are then analyzed at Accuform. We use a numerical method based on "reverse engineering" to fit nonlinear parameters of a suitable viscoelastic model. The aim of the method is providing reliable data for the computer simulation of thermoforming and blow molding.

At the end, customers receive the material data files directly readable into T-SIM (or B-SIM). These files can be immediately used for simulations.

IKT information brochure

Click here to download IKT information brochure (in German, MS Word format, 558 kB) containing more details about the testing method. More information in German can be found also on IKT web site.

Contact persons at IKT

Dipl.-Ing. Fabian Beilharz

Institut für Kunststofftechnik
Universität Stuttgart

Pfaffenwaldring 32
D-70569 Stuttgart

Tel.-Nr. +49(0)711/685-62676 
Fax-Nr. +49(0)711/685-62066
E-Mail: fabian.beilharz@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de
www: www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de

Please contact Mr. Beilharz directly in case you have any questions about the material testing at IKT.

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