Method for press forming and apparatus for press forming automotive outer panel

A method for press forming an automotive outer panel using a punch having a ridgeline, a die having a valley line facing the punch, and a blank holder facing ends of the die to press form a metal sheet into the automotive outer panel having a character line formed by the ridgeline and the valley line and panel surface portions continuous with both sides of the character line, the method comprising:

• providing an elastic body to the punch such that the elastic body abuts against the metal sheet away from a portion corresponding to the character line in the metal sheet, the elastic body press forming one of the panel surface portions and protruding toward the die beyond a punch-side forming surface portion, the elastic body being made of a rubber material or a urethane material;
• an elastic body abutting step of abutting a contact surface portion of the protruding elastic body against the metal sheet by relatively moving the die toward the punch with both ends of the metal sheet held between the die and the blank holder;
• and
• a character line forming step of forming the character line with the ridgeline and the valley line by further relatively moving the die toward the punch while abutting the contact surface portion of the protruding elastic body against the metal sheet to deform the elastic body such that the elastic body becomes flush with the punch-side forming surface portion at a bottom dead center of forming, wherein
• a protrusion amount of the elastic body from the punch-side forming surface portion is set such that the elastic body contacts the metal sheet before the ridgeline of the punch contacts the metal sheet to cause the metal sheet to undergo a plastic deformation;
• and when the ridgeline of the punch contacts the metal sheet, the metal sheet is supported by the elastic body between a portion where the ridgeline of the punch contacts the metal sheet and one of the ends of the metal sheet held between the die and the blank holder to cause portions of the metal sheet where the ridgeline of the punch and the elastic body contact to gradually undergo bending deformation to become a gentle shape;
• and when the plastic deformation is started, the metal sheet is held between the elastic body and the die.