Nissan is aiming to commercialise the proprietary technique, known as dual-sided dieless forming.

The technique involves two synchronised robots working from opposite sides of a steel sheet, using diamond-coated tools to gradually shape the steel.

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The new process may make it commercially viable to produce and sell a wide variety of after-service and replacement parts in small volumes for cars Nissan no longer makes. This was previously not possible due to high upfront costs and long lead times to develop and make dies for stamped parts.

Until now, dual-sided dieless forming had been considered too difficult to commercialise. This was due to the complexity of programming two robots to operate synchronously while ensuring consistent quality.

Existing techniques have primarily relied on single-sided forming, which limits the complexity of shapes which can be created. By placing robots and tools on opposite sides of a steel sheet, they can create more difficult and detailed shapes.

The new technique was made possible thanks to the production engineering expertise at Nissan’s Production Engineering Research and Development Centre, along with advancements in materials technology by Nissan’s Research Division.

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Nissan says it represents three major breakthroughs:

  • The development of advanced programmes capable of controlling both robots with a high degree of dimensional accuracy, enabling the formation of detailed convex and concave shapes
  • The application of a mirrored diamond coating to tools, reducing friction while eliminating the need for lubrication. This has  benefits including consistency of surface quality and low-cost, environmentally friendly operation
  • The generation of optimised pathfinding logic for robots, drawing on press-forming simulation techniques ordinarily used by Nissan’s production engineering teams