Learning Forum

[Zhen_Hao]

Hi everyone,

I am currently working on an FEA simulation of the sintering process of metal injection molding (MIM). What do I need to set up in order to perform an FEA simulation regarding the shrinkage of a molded part after the sintering process (from brown part to sintered metal part) ?

[Sheldon Imaoka]

The actual physics associated with the sintering process is not captured in FEA. I am not sure what aspect you are solving, but regarding shrinkage, that could be accounted for possibly as an addition to thermal expansion (contraction) by modifying the CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) or by using "swelling". Details on Swelling can be found in Section 4.13 "Swelling" of the Materials Reference of the Mechanical APDL Help, but the idea is that it is another volumetric expansion/contraction term that is in addition to thermal strains - in Mechanical, you'll need to implement this with a "Commands (APDL)" object using APDL commands.
I'm only commenting on the 'shrinkage' aspect of your question. The actual sintering process and change in material properties are not directly captured in the equations solved in FEA.
Regards Sheldon

[Zhen_Hao]

Thank You for your info Sheldon!