Design and fabrication of prototype of extrusion equipment for research and teaching purposes

Abstract

Abstract In Engineering Schools, metal forming teaching laboratories are not always equipped with all the suitable equipment to show the students how metal forming operations are performed in industrial facilities, due mainly to space and/or economical limitations. In this work, a proposal of design and fabrication of prototype of extrusion equipment is presented, mainly for teaching purposes, but also, for research activities in extrusion processes. To reach the aim, the components of the prototype are integrated in a universal testing machine Hoytom HM-100kN. This kind of equipment is available in any Engineering School, which makes the proposal accessible to any lecturer interested in metal forming teaching. The final design of the prototype was made taking into account the possibility of using standardized components to facilitate both installation and maintenance tasks. It is also important to emphasize the modular nature of the design to allow its adaptation to different applications and case studies. The prototype presented has demonstrated to be able to produce long profiles by cold extrusion, not only with plasticine (typically used in physical modelling) but with a metallic material, as tin. This prototype could be used as an example of extrusion equipment to be reproducible in metal forming laboratories of other universities.