FE SIMULATION OF MICRO-EXTRUSION OF A CONICAL PIN

Successful forming of metal micro-components requires careful design of the process to make it suitable for uniform material flow, small-scale tooling and limited handling capability. FE simulation can be helpful in identifying the best process configuration before engaging in expensive experimental trials. It was used to study material flow, required force and tool contact stress in micro-extrusion of a single conical pin. Different process configurations (forward vs. backward extrusion), tool geometries (pin angles) and material models (coarse grained vs. ultrafine grained) have been tested to gain better understanding of the process conditions relevant to microforming.