Study of Microforging of Parallel Ribs from Metal Strip
The on-going trend in product miniaturization, together with the increasing quality and reduction of costs of micro-components, leads to the need of a robust process design, which might additionally avoid the occurrence of defects in the workpiece. Processes like microforming are affected by variations which can be foreseen but not totally mastered in the design stage. One approach is seen in an adaptive control system based on a metamodel processing the data of online measuring. This approach is grounded on in-depth knowledge based on correct and precise process modelling. This paper presents both experimental and simulative study of a microforging process, part of a more complex forming chain. It consists of six parallel ribs on metal strip. The ribs have a width of 250 µm and are spaced by a gap of 150 µm. The process has been studied by different punch forces, analyzing the final geometry of the workpiece. In particular the rib height is considered as critical to quality parameter. The simulations show reliable results that can be used for the design of the model interfacing measurement and control of the whole microforming process.
Experimental Validation of Robust Process Design and Control Based on Gaussian Mixture Densities∗∗A version in German language of this contribution has been presented in “at Automatisierungstechnik 68, Issue 1, 2014, Page 14-22”.