Wire drawing with COPRA

Wire drawing is a metalworking process that is known and successfully used for thousands of years. It is used to modify the cross-section of a wire by pulling it through a single, or a series of drawing dies. Wire drawn products can be either round or shaped and can be found in a variety of applications, such as electrical wiring, cables, tension-loaded structural components, springs, paper clips.

Especially when it comes to shaped wires and advanced materials, the engineering of the process and the design of the dies can be a challenging task. Experienced designers and lots of trial runs are necessary to reach a satisfying process and product quality. To support the engineering work and reduce the amount of trial runs, process simulation should be used during the design phase. Simulation allows to cut down the necessary time and the overall cost for the process design.

The new version of COPRA FEA RF WireRolling includes a feature to simulate shaped wire drawing in a fast, finite element approach. The software considers the nonlinear plastic and elastic material properties, friction and relaxation between the drawing dies. Annealing steps can also be included if wanted.

As known from other the COPRA products, the software user doesn’t have to be a simulation specialist. The complex simulation models can be created with a few mouse clicks and the simulation results are available in minutes. Investigating the results is easy, as the user is supported by many automatic functions, that deliver the essential information for the optimisation of the process design.

This new feature enlarges the portfolio of manufacturing processes that can be simulated using software from the COPRA product family.