System and method for detecting shaping

A system for automatically detecting three-dimensional shaping in a three-dimensional model of a sheet-metal part, the system comprising:

• (i) an input unit for inputting data of a three-dimensional model of a sheet-metal part that extends in a plane spanned by a first direction and a second direction, wherein the sheet-metal part comprises a bulge in a third direction perpendicular to a plane spanned by the first direction and the second direction;
• (ii) a computing unit configured to
• generate a first horizontal cut, using the data of the three-dimensional model, through the bulge parallel to the plane spanned by the first direction and the second direction, to obtain at least a first closed two-dimensional horizontal cross-sectional contour of the bulge;
• and
• generate a first vertical cut, using the data of the three-dimensional model, through the bulge perpendicular to the plane spanned by the first direction and the second direction of the sheet-metal part, to obtain a first closed two-dimensional vertical cross-sectional contour of the bulge;
• wherein
• the first vertical cut comprises:
• a convex partial segment,
• a first partial cut segment,
• a concave partial segment, and
• a second partial cut segment,
• wherein each of the first partial cut segment and the second partial cut segment extend between a first side of the sheet-metal part and an opposing second side of the sheet-metal part, and
• wherein the computing unit is further configured to apply a transformation to determine one or more transformation coefficients for the first closed two-dimensional horizontal cross-sectional contour and the first closed two-dimensional vertical cross-sectional contour;
• (iii) at least one storage unit configured to store an allocation table that allocates tool data to the one or more transformation coefficients, wherein the tool data indicates a type of tool, and wherein the computing unit can access the storage unit to determine the tool data by the determined transformation coefficients;
• (iv) at least one output unit for outputting the data of the three-dimensional model together with tool data;
• and
• (v) a computer aided manufacturing apparatus configured to receive from the at least one output unit the data of the three-dimensional model together with the tool data for manufacturing the sheet metal part.