Development of a new staking process for an automotive part

This paper systematically investigates the infrared staking (IS) process via process modeling, numerical simulations, and experimental validation. The objective of this work is to optimize process parameters for improving the joint strength of polypropylene car door trim. A holistic approach based upon numerical simulation was proposed considering the manufacturing history of sequential processing steps, including heating, forming, and cooling. The process parameters evaluated were heating time, cooling time, and airflow rate, while the structural testing force was considered as the objective. Firstly, numerical simulations were applied in conjunction with the Box-Behnken design (BBD) experimental method and a response surface methodology (RSM) to create the quadratic mathematical model of the testing force. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was then conducted to investigate the adequacy of the model and to identify significant factors. Finally, a multi-island genetic algorithm (MIGA) was applied to determine optimal values of process parameters and the resulting response. The testing force was maximized at the optimal parameters of 14 s, 14 s, and 60 ft3/h for heating time, cooling time, and airflow rate, respectively. Correlation between simulated and experimental results was conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. This work is expected to contribute toward improving the manufacturing efficiency of the infrared staking process. © 2016, Springer-Verlag London.