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Bringing standardization into Open Innovation Test Beds
FormPlanet is an H2020 Innovation Action (IA) under the topic ‘Open Innovation Test Beds for Characterisation’, which is coordinated by Eurecat Technology Centre in Spain and integrates 16 partners from 8 European countries.
FormPlanet is one of European Union’s Open Innovation Test Beds (OITBs) for characterisation, aiming at increasing the productivity of the sheet metal forming industries through the development of new experimental and modelling methodologies to assure zero-defects production and optimise sheet material development, production and performance.
This Test Bed, to be constituted at the end of 2021, is a long-term industrial ecosystem providing one-stop-shop services to industries, and especially SMEs, in different end-use sectors (transport, household appliances, construction, packaging, etc.). This boosts a wide usage of high-strength sheet materials for high-added value products in different applications, while reducing production costs, productivity losses and time-to-market for the products.
FormPlanet develops the following outcomes, for which the Test Bed provides related services:
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New multi-scale material characterisation techniques
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Novel tests to predict part performance and formability
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Quality control and material integrity by novel non-destructive techniques
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Novel finite element modelling to predict part manufacturing and performance, and to shorten part design phase
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Creation & analysis of a complete material database
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Contribution to the setting of future standards
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Creation of a certification methodology to ensure quality levels
FormPlanet coordinating organization is Eurecat, an very active RTO in including standardization activities in a great number of their R&I projects, having won the Spanish national Award for standards and innovation in 2019.
Defining new standards
FormPlanet is an industry-focused project, so extracting standardization outcomes was a natural way to reach future users and customers.
FormPlanet has promoted the creation of the CEN Workshop “Innovative testing in support of the sheet metal forming industry”, which published two CEN Workshop Agreements (CWA).
Two new CWAs cover new testing methodologies, for which standards are the traditional encoding format. They foster the awareness and confidence of future users in different fields of application.
Both CWAs cover brand-new testing methods, with application to the metal-forming industry, in order to deliver manufactured improved parts to a wide range of different products and sectors, so the final impact of the CWAs is really broad.
The first CWA, entitled “Determination of fracture toughness in thin metal sheets”, defines a test procedure for the evaluation of the plane stress fracture toughness in thin metallic sheets, being this procedure based on the Essential Work of Fracture (EWF) methodology.
The second CWA, entitled “Measurement of diffusible hydrogen in metallic materials – HELIOS 4 HOT PROBE method” provides a set of guidelines for the measurement of diffusible hydrogen content in steel sheets by means of the HELIOS 4 HOT PROBE equipment.
Apart from these deliverables, a “Guide on the use of standards and standardization” has been published and will be provided to future customers of the Test Bed, who can learn how to take advantage of standards and participate in standardization to boost the exploitation of their products.
CEN/TC 459/SC 1 “Test methods for steel (other than chemical analysis)” and CEN/TC 262 “Metallic and other inorganic coatings, including for corrosion protection and corrosion testing of metals and alloys”, have been contacted and informed accordingly, so they can take the CWAs as the basis for further standardization works.
Further standardization of the topic can grow starting from the upgrade of the CWAs, the contact with CEN/TCs, the continued industrial work of the Test Bed after the end of the project and the future promotion work of the brother-project ToughSteel.
FormPlanet results are promoted into the CWAs to facilitate their implementation for all actors in the value chain of different industrial sectors having important commercial interests.