DOE Workshop -- Tooling Technology for Low-Volume Vehicle Production

Welcome

• Session 1: Identifying Needs and Goals; Seattle, WA, October 28, 2003
  The Seattle Session is complete see summary for details on discussions and see presentations to view copies of the formal presentations.

• Session 2: Roadmapping Solutions and Strategies; Detroit, MI, November 18, 2003. The Detroit Session is complete see summary for details on discussions and see presentations to view copies of the formal presentations.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) intends to reduce US fuel demand, and therefore has established challenging weight reduction goals for automobiles and heavy trucks. The widespread introduction of lightweight composite and metal structures into low production volume vehicle manufacturing has been limited partly by the cost and development times associated with tooling. Often the use of lower cost materials and less efficient structural designs are dictated by the fact that the tooling for the manufacture of advanced composites and other lightweight structures cannot be justified from a cost per part basis or the long lead times that are required.

In order to assess the issues related to tooling, DOE is sponsoring a two-part workshop dedicated to identifying the industry needs, current state of the art, potential solutions and direction for future development. Research and development needs identified by the workshop will be utilized to direct future DOE program activities in the advanced tooling area.

The two-part workshop will solicit industry guidance to determine whether government investment in tooling technology development is needed to accelerate the implementation of lightweight materials in heavy trucks and other low volume production vehicles.

Workshop Scope - The workshop scope addresses tooling needs for large, lightweight components or parts, manufactured in production volumes from 1,000 to 30,000 parts per year, utilizing closed or two-sided forming or molding processes. Topics to be covered include:

• Large class A components
• Large structural components
• CAD/CAE/CAM/CIM efficiencies
• Rapid prototyping
• Predictive modeling

Workshop Schedule - Workshop sessions are scheduled as follows:

• In Seattle on 28 October 2003, focused on tooling needs and status, and
• In Detroit on 18 November 2003, focused on emerging technologies, prospective solutions, and the merits of Government investment.

Target Participants - Those who should attend include:

• Truck and Bus OEMs and Suppliers
• RV and Marine OEMs and Suppliers
• Automotive OEMs and Suppliers
• Tooling Suppliers and Designers
• Tooling Material Suppliers
• Rapid Prototyping Suppliers
• CAD/CAE/CAM/CIM Suppliers and Developers
• Machine Tool Suppliers

Workshop Session 1: Identifying Needs and Goals; Seattle WA, October 28, 2003

The first workshop session will focus on identifying the industrial needs to reduce cost and development times for tooling. Technical presentations and a panel discussion will be given by OEM and first tier suppliers in order to identify needs and goals.

Following the technical presentations and panel discussion open discussions will be held where participants will be given the opportunity to identify key deficiencies in cost, prototype, fabrication methods, and design and modeling tools that hinder the increased use of lightweight metals and composite structures.

Workshop Session 2: Roadmapping Solutions and Strategies; Detroit MI, November 18, 2003.

The second workshop session will focus on identifying the potential solutions and strategies for achieving the goals identified at the first workshop session. Technical presentations and a panel discussion focused on emerging tooling technologies will be followed by an open discussion on tooling technology development and the merits of government investment.

Session 2 also will include tabletop exhibits. If you are interested in reserving space for an exhibit, at no cost, contact one of the individuals listed below.

Registration and Survey: - Please register online to attend either or both sessions and take a few minutes to complete the survey to maximize the value of the Workshop. Workshop attendance is limited to first 80 registrants for each session.

For more information, contact: