Method of manufacturing a vehicle panel to reduce deviation between pre-panels and subsequent secondary forming dies

A method of manufacturing a vehicle panel using an initial die and a series of secondary dies, the initial die being configured to perform an initial bend on a workpiece and each secondary die of the series of secondary dies being configured to perform a subsequent bend on the same workpiece to achieve the vehicle panel from the workpiece, the method comprising:

• sequentially defining multi-dimensional models for the series of secondary dies, wherein n is based on a total number of secondary dies in the series of secondary dies, wherein for an nth secondary die, sequentially defining multi-dimensional models comprises:
• generating a simulated geometry of an nth pre-panel;
• defining a multi-dimensional model of the nth secondary die based on the simulated geometry of the nth pre-panel;
• simulating operation of the nth secondary die operating on the nth pre-panel to determine a simulated geometry of an (n+1)th pre-panel;
• determining a deviation between the simulated geometry of the (n+1)th pre-panel and a target (n+1)th pre-panel geometry;
• in response to the deviation being outside a tolerance limit, iteratively:
• adjusting geometry of the multi-dimensional model of the nth secondary die, simulating operation of the nth secondary die with the adjusted geometry on the nth pre-panel to determine an adjusted simulated geometry of the (n+1)th pre-panel, and determining a deviation between the adjusted simulated geometry of the (n+1)th pre-panel and the target (n+1)th pre-panel geometry, until the deviation is within the tolerance limit;
• and
• storing the multi-dimensional model of the nth secondary die in response to the deviation being within the tolerance.