NEM-FEM comparison on porthole die extrusion of AA-6082

Porthole die extrusion is a forming process used to manufacture hollow components with different shapes. This forming process is optimized to improve the welding line quality. Process optimization can be achieved by determining the influences that each process parameter has on the pressure along the welding plane. The construction complexity of the die results in research difficulty from an experimental point of view. Even the finite element method (FEM) presents relevant drawbacks primarily because of numerical codes are not capable of simulating the welding phase. Hence, the natural element method (NEM), which allows the joining phase of free surfaces, presents significant advantages. In this work, experimental results obtained using a flexible porthole die are discussed. A suitable 2D geometry was extracted from the die, and both FEM and NEM were conducted. A good agreement among the numerical results was recorded.