| The production and forming of wire is an industrial process by which large quantities of very different shapes can be manufactured in a highly rationalised manner. As with many other forming processes, the technology is still primarily based on experience. So in most cases the production of new profile shapes is not only associated with a considerable design effort, but also means protracted trials and experiments during start-up. The starting product for shaped wire is very often round or rectangular wire. Proceeding from this geometry, the wire is turned into the required final form in a number of rolling passes, meaning that only the starting and finishing state of the wire is known. As shaped wires very often have geometry with different radii, calculating the intermediate stages is a complex matter. In addition to the purely geometric aspect, there are other factors that play a by no means negligible role. These include the fact that the material lengthens when it is formed, and can be very difficult to force into the border regions. Large deformations produce local strain hardening, as a result of which the material can become brittle and thus fissured.
data-M Software GmbH, Germany, has recently introduced COPRA� WF, a solution for wire rolling that pursues three objectives:
- Interactive modelling of the forming steps, based on available experience: the designer draws the forming steps and can put the areas into the required percentage ratio with the aid of COPRA� WF;
- Automatic lay-out of the forming steps by specifying the start and end cross-section. It is then possible to specify the degree of forming and the estimated reduction of the cross-section;
- Verification of the design by finite element simulation. Forming is computed, based on roller geometry and the start cross-section. The actual shape to be expected can be verified in the individual steps and the change in the material examined.
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