WHAT IS COLD FORGING SIMULATION WITH CAE? – BENEFITS & CASE STUDIES

Designing, verifying, and modifying with CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) on a computer reduces the time required for manufacturing and trials, thereby shortening the lead times for product development. In this article, we will focus on “Cold Forging” and introduce an overview of Cold Forging, the advantages of CAE analysis, and analysis examples.

WHAT IS COLD FORGING?

Cold Forging is a method of forming metals with high working pressure using high-precision dies at room temperature. The accuracy of the die is not easily affected by temperature and can be transferred to the final shape of the product (net shape) or a shape close to it (near-net-shape) through appropriate process design heat treatment and lubrication between processes.
Recently, several manufacturing methods have been achieved to shorten the forming process by adding a function to the press machines that enables multiple dies to be transferred.

However, this process is not suitable for forming complex shapes because of the high deformation resistance of the metals due to forming at room temperature, and it is not suitable for forming large products due to the high processing pressure.

BENEFITS OF CAE ANALYSIS FOR COLD FORGING

CAE analysis for Cold Forging enables you to visualize the transition of load and deformation of materials in the forming process, and also predict cracks and other defects during the forming process, allowing verification of the shapes that can be formed and whether they can be formed within the specifications of the forging machine before trial production. It means you can reduce costs for labor and trial-related dies.
In addition, since the load (stress) on the dies can also be checked, it can be used to improve the life of the die, enabling to reduce forging production costs.

AN EXAMPLE OF COLD FORGING SIMULATION WITH A CAE SOLUTION

Here are some examples of simulations using the CAE software DEFORM.

CASE STUDY: SIMULATION OF A COMPONENT FOR CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINTS

The figure below shows the load transition and deformation transition during the forming process, and it indicates/shows that the deformation transition changes with the timing of the load change. The forming load reaches the highest point at the end of the forming process, but the load on the die reaches the highest in the middle of the forming process. which can be newly noticed through the simulation with CAE.

OTHER CASE STUDIES (Click on the image to visit the 3D animation page)

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  Fastener Analysis The case study of a fastener. By observing the metal flow (fiber flow), you can check the lapping process as it occurs in the actual equipment.

   

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  Chevron Crack The case study of chevron cracks that occurred during multi-step drawing.

   

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  Drawing Process Analysis The simulation of the drawing process. You can see the interface of the die and material.

   

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  Extrusion Analysis (Lagrangian method) The simulation of an extrusion using the Lagrangian method.

   

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  Extrusion Analysis (ALE method) The simulation of an extrusion attempting to efficient accuracy improvements and simulation time.

   

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  Die Life Extension DEFORM can analyze how the load on the die varies depending on the die structure.

   

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  Helical Gear Extrusion DEFORM also supports some of the simulations with a condition: rotational symmetry

   

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  Cold Forging of Cross Joints The simulation of the cold forging of a cross joint by the full-enclosed forging process.

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  Extrusion of Cut Materials The simulation of extrusion with cut material shows that the filling of the die is not uniform.

   

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  Wire Cutting This is a 3D simulation of the cutting wire rod before the upsetting and extrusion processes.

   

Conclusion

We hope you found this article helpful.
By utilizing CAE, defects can be prevented in advance, and costs and lead times can be reduced.
In addition to the examples introduced here, the CAE software DEFORM has a wide range of functions to support designers, including other processes, data analysis, the design of an experiment module, and an optimization module.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about product design and manufacturing.