Industrial Implementation of Simulation-Based Tool Design to Ensure High-Quality Seam Welds in 6082 Automotive Profiles

Achieving high-quality welding seams when using porthole dies for aluminum profile extrusion is a critical challenge. Industrial extruders have shown a growing interest in utilizing digital twin technology to optimize tool design and process parameters to achieve high-quality seam welds while reducing the need for timeconsuming and expensive experimental trials. The main objective of this work is to design and optimize the tool set using simulation software to ensure high seam weld quality of aluminum alloy (AA)6082 extruded profiles. For this purpose, the phenomenological criterion of welding quality assessment is used. It considers all critical aspects that affect the integrity of the seam welds, making it a reliable solution for achieving high-quality welding. A group of experts in different areas of the extrusion technology field collaborated in this work, contributing to the development and manufacturing of the extrusion tool set and industrial validation of the seam weld quality.