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Finite Element Analysis in fastener industry

Fabrizio Perrotta

VIMI Fasteners

 

Vimi Fasteners S.p.A. is an Italian company, worldwide leader in the production of mechanical fasteners, partner of the most important motorcycle and automotive manufacturers. Vimi Fasteners is a dynamic company that welcomes innovation. For this reason it has recently introduced the FEM simulator Forge® in order to take over control hot and cold-forming processes.

This project aims to show the main benefits achieved by Forge® 3D simulations in one year time. Thanks to a wide material and press databases, Vimi Fasteners technicians succeeded in analyzing several items through:

• Process chain’s optimization, choosing the most suitable upset shape to ensures geometric conformity of the end product at the lowest press load
• Detection and correction of microscopic folds through the grain flow simulation.

High accuracy analysis method enables to use Forge® as a powerful prototyping device. Therefore, it is shown the case study of a warm forming process of a titanium alloy screw, demonstrating how it is possible to:

• Define proper heating conditions of the initial billet
• Predict an unexpected material behavior at high temperature, obtaining time and cost savings.

Forge® integration in Vimi Fasteners’s productive process increased our own knowledge and proficiency, substituting the old paradigm from “try to make it” in “do it right at the first time”.