Design system, design method, and design program

Abstract

To prevent the blank material from slipping off due to differences in plate thickness of the blank material during transportation by a transporting device. [Solution] The design system disclosed herein comprises a first acquisition unit that acquires blank information including the shape of the blank material, a second acquisition unit that acquires steel plate information related to the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate to be processed, and a placement unit that refers to the blank information and steel plate information and determines the placement of the blank material relative to the steel plate so that the degree of skew of the conveying trajectory of the blank material relative to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a design system, a design method, and a design program. [Background technology]

[0002] Press working is a technique in which a blank is set in a die and pressed against the die to form the blank. Laser blanking is known as a technique for manufacturing blanks used in press working (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A conveying device such as a roller conveyor is used to transport the blank to the press. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 121946 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The thickness of the steel plate used as the raw material for blanks is not necessarily uniform. During the rolling process, when the steel plate is sandwiched between rolls from above and below, a rolling force is applied to both ends of the rolls, resulting in a relatively thin plate at the edges and a relatively thick plate in the center. This difference in thickness is called crown. Therefore, thickness differences due to the crown also appear in the blanks cut out from the steel plate.

[0005] If there is a deviation in the thickness of the blanks in the width direction of the conveying device, a difference in the gripping force between the blanks and the conveying surface of the conveying device will occur, causing the blanks to be conveyed tilted toward the thinner side. If this tilt is large, the blanks may slip off during conveyance by the conveying device. An object of the present invention is to provide a design system, design method, and design program that can prevent blanks from slipping off due to differences in thickness during conveyance by the conveying device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] [1] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a design system including a first acquisition unit that acquires blank information including the shape of the blank material, a second acquisition unit that acquires steel plate information regarding the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate to be processed, and a placement unit that determines the placement of the blank material relative to the steel plate by referring to the blank information and the steel plate information so that the degree of skew of the conveying trajectory of the blank material relative to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value. [2] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a design system is provided that includes an estimation unit that estimates the degree of skew based on the distribution of thickness of the steel plate, and an arrangement unit that determines the arrangement of a blank material relative to the steel plate so that the estimated degree of skew does not exceed an upper limit value. [3] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a design system is provided in which an estimation unit estimates the distribution of gripping force acting on a conveying roller based on the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate in the axial direction of the conveying roller that conveys the blank material, and estimates the degree of skew based on the distribution of gripping force. [4] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a design system is provided in which a placement unit determines the placement of blanks relative to a steel plate by performing an optimization calculation of the placement pattern of blanks relative to the steel plate so that a penalty value corresponding to the degree of obliqueness is reduced. [5] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a design method including the steps of: acquiring blank information including the shape of the blank material; acquiring steel plate information regarding the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate to be processed; and determining the position of the blank material relative to the steel plate by referring to the blank information and the steel plate information so that the degree of inclination of the conveying trajectory of the blank material relative to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value. [6] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a design program for causing a computer to execute the steps of acquiring blank information including the shape of the blank material, acquiring steel plate information regarding the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate to be processed, and determining the position of the blank material relative to the steel plate by referring to the blank information and the steel plate information so that the degree of inclination of the conveying trajectory of the blank material relative to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above aspect, it is possible to prevent the blank material from slipping off due to differences in plate thickness of the blank material while being transported by the transporting device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1A to 1C are diagrams showing an outline of a manufacturing process of a press-formed product in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a laser blanking device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hot press apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a first diagram illustrating a state in which a blank piece is conveyed by the conveying device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a second diagram illustrating the manner in which the blank is conveyed by the conveying device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a design system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] 3 is a flowchart showing a design method by the design system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the concept of the upper limit of the oblique curvature of the blank according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a design method by a design system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the manufacturing process for a pressed product according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing process for a pressed product can be broadly divided into a first process, a second process, and a third process. In the first process (nesting process), a steel manufacturer determines the layout of the blanks M to be cut from a steel plate based on the shape data of the blanks M provided by a processing company. The layout of the blanks M determined in the first process is provided to the second process as blanking data. The layout of the blanks M is represented by the longitudinal position, lateral position, and angle of the blanks. Here, the "angle" refers to the amount of rotation when the blanks are rotated within the steel plate plane to determine their orientation. It can be any angle, such as the angle of the blank relative to the longitudinal or lateral direction of the steel plate or the rotation angle relative to the center of gravity of the blanks. The angle to be used can be determined appropriately depending on the shape of the steel plate and blanks used. The "width" of the steel plate refers to the coil width when the steel plate is rolled into a coil.

[0010] The second process is a process (blanking process) in which blanks M are cut out from steel plates based on the blanking data determined in the first process. To cut out the blanks M, a press-type blanking device that uses a die to punch out the blanks M from the steel plates, or a laser blanking device that cuts the blanks M from the steel plates using a laser, can be used. A laser blanking device can achieve nesting with narrower spacing than a press-type blanking device, and is therefore advantageous in improving yield. In the first embodiment, the steel manufacturer cuts out the blanks M from the steel plates using a laser blanking device, but this is not limited to this in other embodiments. The steel manufacturer delivers the blanks cut out in the second process to a processor.

[0011] The third process is a process (pressing process) in which a processor presses the blank material M delivered from the steel manufacturer. In the first embodiment, a cold press device that performs press processing on the blank material M at room temperature, or a hot press device that performs press processing on the heated blank material M, can be used for the press processing. In a hot press device, the blank material M is cooled simultaneously with the press processing, so that forming and quenching are performed simultaneously, and residual stress generated in the formed part can be minimized. In the first embodiment, the processor processes the blank material M using a hot press device, but this is not limited to this in other embodiments.

[0012] <Laser blanking device B> 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a laser blanking device B according to the first embodiment. The laser blanking device B is a device that cuts out a blank material M by irradiating a laser onto a plate material fed from a coil C. The laser blanking device B shown in FIG. 2 includes an unloader B01, a fine leveler B02, a belt conveyor B03, a pair of first rails B04, a pair of first running bodies B05, a second rail B06, a second running body B07, a laser nozzle B08, and a control device B09.

[0013] The unloader B01 rotates the coil C to send the plate material to the fine leveler B02. The fine leveler B02 holds the plate material from above and below to straighten the shape of the plate material. The belt conveyor B03 transports the plate material straightened by the fine leveler B02 from upstream to downstream.

[0014] A pair of first rails B04 are provided to sandwich the belt conveyor B03 in the width direction and extend along the conveying direction of the belt conveyor B03. A pair of first running bodies B05 are provided to be able to run on the pair of first rails B04, respectively. A second rail B06 is supported by the pair of first running bodies B05 and is provided to cross above the belt conveyor B03. The second rail B06 extends in a direction perpendicular to the first rails B04.

[0015] The second traveling body B07 is provided so as to be able to travel along the second rail B06. The laser nozzle B08 is supported by the second traveling body B07. The laser nozzle B08 irradiates a laser beam downward. The laser nozzle B08 moves while irradiating the laser beam onto the plate material, thereby cutting the plate material.

[0016] The control device B09 cuts out a blank material M from the plate material by moving the first running body B05 and the second running body B07 and controlling the output of the laser nozzle B08 based on the blanking data. The blanking data represents the outline of the blank material. For example, if the outline is represented in vector format, the control device B09 can process the plate material along the outline by moving the first running body B05 and the second running body B07 along a path representing the outline while causing the laser nozzle B08 to irradiate the laser. For example, if the outline is represented in raster format, the control device B09 can process the plate material along the outline by scanning the first running body B05 and the second running body B07 and causing the laser nozzle B08 to irradiate the laser at positions where the outline exists.

[0017] <Hot press device H> The cut-out blank material M is shipped from the steel manufacturer and then formed at a processing facility using a hot press apparatus H. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hot press apparatus H according to the first embodiment. The hot press apparatus H includes a first transfer machine H01, a roller hearth kiln H02, a second transfer machine H03, and a press machine H04.

[0018] The first transfer device H01 places the blank material M on a roller conveyor H21 upstream of the roller hearth kiln H02. The roller hearth kiln H02 is a continuous firing furnace that transports the blank material M from upstream to downstream by the roller conveyor H21 while heating it with a heater. The roller conveyor H21 is an example of a transport device that transports the blank material M. The second transfer device H03 transfers the blank material M transported downstream of the roller hearth kiln H02 to a press machine H04. The press machine H04 forms the blank material M by sandwiching and pressurizing the blank material M placed by the second transfer device H03 from above and below.

[0019] The blank material M is softened by being heated by the roller hearth kiln H02, and in this state is pressed by the press machine H04. During pressing by the press machine H04, the blank material M is cooled by contact between the die and the blank material M, so forming and quenching are carried out simultaneously, and residual stress generated in the formed part can be kept small.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a first diagram illustrating the conveyance of blanks by a conveying device according to a first embodiment. The blank M has a thickness deviation due to the crown of the blank. The thickness of the blank M shown in FIG. 4 is thickest at the center in the width direction and is distributed approximately evenly on the left and right. When such a blank M comes into contact with the rolls of the conveying device, a normal force is generated equally on the left and right with respect to the center line of the blank M. As a result, the frictional force (grip force) generated between the roller conveyor H21 and the blank M is also applied equally on the left and right, so the blank M is conveyed along the conveying direction. The center line of the blank M is a straight line that passes through the geometric center of the outline shape of the blank M in a plan view from above and is parallel to the conveying direction.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a second diagram illustrating the conveyance of blanks by the conveying device according to the first embodiment. The thickness of the blank M shown in FIG. 5 is distributed so that it is thickest at the left end and thinnest at the right end. When such a blank M comes into contact with the rolls of the conveying device, a normal force is applied asymmetrically to the center line of the blank M. In other words, the grip force generated between the roller conveyor H21 and the blank M is asymmetrical to the center line of the blank M. Specifically, the distribution of the grip force for the blank M shown in FIG. 5 is biased to the left of the center line of the blank M. Such a blank M may be conveyed at an angle, tilting toward the side with weaker grip force, i.e., toward the side with thinner thickness. For example, the blank M shown in FIG. 5 may bend to the right.

[0022] Depending on the length and width of the roller conveyor H21 at the processing facility and the degree of inclination of the blank material M (the angle of inclination, the curvature of inclination), there is a possibility that the blank material M may slip off the roller conveyor H21.

[0023] <<Design System>> The design system according to the first embodiment nests blanks M so as to achieve a thickness distribution that suppresses excess material and prevents the blanks from slipping off the roller conveyor H21. FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the design system 1 according to the first embodiment. The design system 1 includes a database 101, a skew estimation unit 102, a placement unit 103, a determination unit 104, and a data output unit 105.

[0024] The database 101 stores characteristic data indicating the characteristics of the coil C from which the blank material M is cut, specification data indicating the specifications of the blank material M to be produced, and conveying device data which is information on the conveying device of the processing company.

[0025] The characteristic data is data that records the distribution of the properties of the steel plate that constitutes the coil C. The characteristic data includes at least the distribution of the thickness of the steel plate. In the characteristic data, the thickness distribution is expressed, for example, as the average thickness value for each of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the coil C into grids. The characteristic data is calculated from historical data such as measurement values ​​measured for the above-mentioned plurality of areas during the manufacturing process of the coil C (hot rolling process, annealing process, plating process, etc.) and process control values. The characteristic data may also include tolerance information for each characteristic item based on tolerances of sensors, etc. In other words, the characteristic data is data that associates the ID of the coil C, the coordinates of the area, the values ​​of each characteristic including the plate thickness related to the area, and the tolerance of each characteristic. The characteristic data is an example of steel plate information. In addition to the characteristic data, the steel plate information may also include information regarding the front and back surfaces.

[0026] The specification data includes the shape and properties of the blank material M. The shape data of the blank material M is given, for example, by two-dimensional CAD data. Examples of the properties include plate thickness, tensile strength, yield point, elongation, average plastic strain ratio, hole expansion ratio, surface finish, etc. The specification data is data that associates the order number of the blank material, shape data of the blank material, values ​​of various properties related to the specifications of the blank material, the order quantity, and the requester. The specification data is an example of blank information that represents the shape of the blank material M. The transport device data includes information on the width and route length of the transport device used by each processor. The transport device data associates the processor's ID with the width and route length of the transport device.

[0027] The database 101 is an example of a first acquisition unit that acquires blank information including the shape of the blank material and a second acquisition unit that acquires steel plate information related to the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate to be processed.

[0028] The skew estimation unit 102 estimates the skew curvature (degree of skew) of the blank material M in the conveying device when the blank material M is cut out from the planned placement location, based on the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate at the planned placement location of the blank material M. For example, the skew estimation unit 102 may estimate the skew curvature by generating a three-dimensional physical model of the blank material M based on the shape of the blank material M and the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate at the planned placement location of the blank material M, and performing a simulation of conveying the three-dimensional physical model. In other words, the skew estimation unit 102 estimates the distribution of gripping forces acting on each conveying roller based on the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate at the planned placement location of the blank material M in the axial direction of the conveying rollers of the roller conveyor H21 that conveys the blank material M, and estimates the skew curvature based on the distribution of gripping forces. Furthermore, for example, the skew estimation unit 102 may estimate the skew curvature using a machine learning model that receives the thickness distribution of the steel plate at the planned placement location of the blank material M as input and outputs the skew curvature. This machine learning model may be trained using, for example, the thickness distribution according to the above-mentioned physical model and the results of a simulation using the physical model as a training data set. The input to the machine learning model may be a two-dimensional image (heat map) of the thickness distribution. Furthermore, the skew estimation unit 102 may estimate the curvature from the difference in thickness between the left and right sides of the blank material M that is cut out without straddling the center (thickest part) of the steel plate. In this case, the skew estimation unit 102 may consider the curvature to be sufficiently small when the blank material M is cut out so as to straddle the center of the steel plate.

[0029] The placement unit 103 places the shape of the blank material M based on the specification data on the coil C. At this time, the placement unit 103 places the blank material M so that the ratio (yield) of the total area of ​​the blank material M to the area of ​​the steel material is large. For example, the placement unit 103 may place the blank material M by performing an optimization calculation with the yield as the objective function. In other words, the placement unit 103 can calculate the placement of the blank material M as a figure packing problem. Examples of algorithms for the figure packing problem include the bottom-left method, local search method, and genetic algorithm.

[0030] The determination unit 104 determines whether or not the blank material M may slip off the conveying device when the blank material M is generated according to the arrangement by the arrangement unit 103. The determination unit 104 determines whether or not the blank material M may slip off by comparing the upper limit value of the curvature determined from the width and path length of the conveying device indicated by the conveying device data with the oblique curvature estimated by the oblique estimation unit 102 for each blank material M.

[0031] 《Design method》 7 is a flowchart showing a design method using the design system according to the first embodiment. An operator inputs nesting instructions by specifying an order ID for the blank material M to the design system 1. The arrangement unit 103 determines the coil C from which the blank material M will be cut based on the specification data related to the specified order ID (step S1). The determination unit 104 reads out the transport device data of the ordering processor from the ID of the processor included in the specification data related to the specified order ID (step S2).

[0032] The determination unit 104 calculates the upper limit of the skew curvature allowable for the blank material M based on the conveying device data and the width of the blank material M (step S3). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the concept of the upper limit of the skew curvature of the blank material according to the first embodiment. The upper limit of the skew curvature is the maximum curvature at which the blank material M placed at the center of the upstream end of the roller conveyor H21 does not slide off before reaching the downstream side of the roller conveyor H21. Here, when the width of the roller conveyor H21 is w, the path length of the roller conveyor H21 is l, the width of the blank material M is b, and the radius of the skew is r, r must satisfy the following formula (1). The curvature is expressed as 1 / r.

[0033]

number

[0034] The skew estimation unit 102 estimates the difference in thickness between the left and right sides of the blank material M that can be transported with the estimated maximum curvature (maximum thickness difference) (step S4). The arrangement unit 103 determines, based on the thickness distribution of the coil C, whether it is possible to cut out the blank material M so that the thickness difference is equal to or less than the maximum thickness difference estimated in step S4 (step S5). If it is possible to cut out the blank material M so that the thickness difference is equal to or less than the maximum thickness difference (step S5: YES), the arrangement unit 103 arranges the shape of the blank material indicated by the specification data on the coil C in the number indicated by the specification data, using the maximum thickness difference as a constraint (step S6). If it is not possible to cut out the blank material M so that the thickness difference is equal to or less than the maximum thickness difference (step S5: NO), the arrangement unit 103 arranges the shape of the blank material indicated by the specification data in the number indicated by the specification data so that it straddles the center of the coil C (step S7).

[0035] When the placement of the blank materials M is completed, the data output unit 105 generates and outputs blanking data representing the placement of the blank materials M by the placement unit 103 (step S8).

[0036] Actions and Effects As described above, according to the design system 1 of the first embodiment, the design system 1 designs the blank material M in the following procedure. The design system 1 acquires specification data including the shape of the blank material. The design system 1 acquires characteristic data related to the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate to be processed. The placement unit 103 refers to the specification data and characteristic data and determines the placement of the blank material relative to the coil C so that the oblique curvature of the conveying trajectory of the blank material M relative to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value. This allows the design system 1 to prevent the cut-out blank material M from slipping off the conveying device.

[0037] Second Embodiment The design system 1 according to the second embodiment designs the blank material M in a procedure different from that of the first embodiment.

[0038] 《Design method》 9 is a flowchart showing a design method using a design system according to the second embodiment. An operator inputs nesting instructions by specifying an order ID for the blank material M to the design system 1. The arrangement unit 103 determines the coil C from which the blank material M will be cut based on the specification data related to the specified order ID (step S21). The determination unit 104 reads out the transport device data of the ordering processor from the ID of the processor included in the specification data related to the specified order ID (step S22).

[0039] The placement unit 103 places the shape of the blank material M based on the specification data on the coil C (step S23). The design system 1 selects each of the placed blank materials M one by one (step S24) and performs the processes of steps S25 to S27 for each blank material M.

[0040] The skew estimation unit 102 identifies the distribution of the plate thickness of the steel plate related to the planned placement location of the blank material M selected based on the specification data, and estimates the skew curvature of the blank material M (step S25). The determination unit 104 calculates the upper limit of the skew curvature allowable for the blank material M based on the width of the blank material M (the length along the width direction of the coil) and the conveying device data (step S26). The width of the blank material M varies depending on the placement angle of the blank material M with respect to the coil C. The determination unit 104 determines whether the curvature estimated in step S25 is equal to or less than the upper limit of the curvature calculated in step S26 (step S27).

[0041] The placement unit 103 calculates an evaluation value using the yield as an objective function and the presence or absence of blank materials whose curvature exceeds an upper limit as a penalty function (step S28). The placement unit 103 determines whether or not to continue the optimization calculation based on the evaluation value (step S29). If the optimization calculation is to be continued, the design system 1 returns the process to step S23. On the other hand, if the optimization calculation is to be ended, the data output unit 105 generates and outputs blanking data representing the placement of the blank materials M by the placement unit 103 (step S30).

[0042] "effect" In this way, the design system 1 according to the second embodiment performs optimization calculations for the arrangement pattern of the blank material M relative to the coil C so as to reduce the penalty value according to the oblique curvature and increase the yield. This allows the design system 1 to prevent the cut-out blank material M from slipping off the conveying device and also to prevent a decrease in yield.

[0043] Other Embodiments Although one embodiment has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design modifications are possible. That is, in other embodiments, the order of the above-described processes may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, some processes may be executed in parallel. The design system 1 according to the above-described embodiment may be configured by a single computer, or the configuration of the design system 1 may be divided among multiple computers that cooperate with each other to function as the design system 1. In this case, some of the computers 90 that configure the design system 1 may be mounted on the control device B09 of the laser blanking device B.

[0044] The design system 1 according to the embodiment described above calculates the curvature as the degree of skew, but this is not limiting. For example, the design system 1 according to other embodiments may calculate the radius of skew, the angle of skew, the amount of movement of the component perpendicular to the conveying direction, etc. as the degree of skew.

[0045] <Computer Configuration> FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of a computer according to at least one embodiment. The computer 90 includes a processor 91 , a main memory 92 , a storage 93 , and an interface 94 . The above-described design system 1 is implemented in a computer 90. The operations of the above-described processing units are stored in the form of a program in a storage 93. A processor 91 reads the program (design program) from the storage 93, loads it into a main memory 92, and executes the above-described processing in accordance with the program. The processor 91 also allocates storage areas in the main memory 92 corresponding to the above-described storage units in accordance with the program. Examples of the processor 91 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), and a microprocessor.

[0046] The program may be for realizing some of the functions to be performed by the computer 90. For example, the program may be combined with other programs already stored in storage or implemented in other devices to perform the functions. In another embodiment, the computer 90 may include a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to or instead of the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include PAL (Programmable Array Logic), GAL (Generic Array Logic), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). In this case, some or all of the functions realized by the processor 91 may be realized by the integrated circuit. Such an integrated circuit is also an example of a processor. In another embodiment, the computer 90 may be virtualized on one or more computers.

[0047] Examples of storage 93 include a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, and a semiconductor memory. Storage 93 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of computer 90, or an external medium connected to computer 90 via interface 94 or a communication line. Furthermore, when this program is distributed to computer 90 via a communication line, computer 90 that receives the program may load the program into main memory 92 and execute the above-described processing. In at least one embodiment, storage 93 is a non-transitory tangible storage medium.

[0048] The program may also be a program for realizing part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that realizes the above-described functions in combination with another program already stored in storage 93. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1...Design system 90...Computer 91...Processor 92...Main memory 93...Storage 94...Interface 101...Database 102...Skew estimation unit 103...Placement unit 104...Determination unit 105...Data output unit B...Laser blanking device B01...Unloader B02...Fine leveler B03...Belt conveyor B04...First rail B05...First running body B06...Second rail B07...Second running body B08...Laser nozzle B09...Control device C...Coil CAD...Two-dimensional H...Hot press device H01...First transfer machine H02...Roller hearth kiln H03...Second transfer machine H04...Press machine H21...Roller conveyor ID...Order M...Blank material

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires blank information including the shape of the blank material; a second acquisition unit that acquires steel plate information regarding the distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate to be processed; an arrangement unit that refers to the blank information and the steel plate information and determines an arrangement of the blank material relative to the steel plate so that the degree of inclination of the conveying trajectory of the blank material with respect to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value; A design system comprising:

2. an estimation unit that estimates the degree of obliqueness based on a distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate, the placement unit determines a placement of the blank material with respect to the steel plate so that the estimated degree of obliqueness does not exceed the upper limit value. The design system of claim 1 .

3. The estimation unit estimates a distribution of gripping force acting on the conveying roller based on a distribution of plate thickness of the steel plate in an axial direction of the conveying roller that conveys the blank, and estimates the degree of the obliqueness based on the distribution of gripping force. The design system according to claim 2 .

4. the placement unit determines a placement of the blank material with respect to the steel plate by performing an optimization calculation of a placement pattern of the blank material with respect to the steel plate so as to reduce a penalty value according to the degree of obliqueness. The design system of claim 1 .

5. The computer obtaining blank information including a shape of the blank; A step of acquiring steel plate information regarding the distribution of plate thickness of a steel plate to be processed; determining an arrangement of the blank material relative to the steel plate by referring to the blank information and the steel plate information so that the degree of inclination of the conveying trajectory of the blank material relative to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value; A design method comprising:

6. On the computer, obtaining blank information including a shape of the blank; A step of acquiring steel plate information regarding the distribution of plate thickness of a steel plate to be processed; determining an arrangement of the blank material relative to the steel plate by referring to the blank information and the steel plate information so that the degree of inclination of the conveying trajectory of the blank material relative to the conveying direction does not exceed an upper limit value; A design program for executing the above.

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