FE-simulation of microforming processes applying a mesoscopic model

Basic research in the field of microforming has shown that scaling down the process from macro to microscale is subjected to so-called size effects in particular concerning flow stress and friction. As a consequence, process knowledge of conventional forming could not simply be transferred to microscale. To plan production processes with process simulation methods the knowledge of these size effects and their impact on the forming behavior is essential. For the identification of the size effects a large number of experiments have been carried out. With the detected effects a numerical mesoscopic model is being developed—based on the theory of metal physics—in order to simulate the forming behavior of microparts as well as the occurring scatter of the process factors.