Study of Trimming Behavior of Automotive AZ31 and ZEK100 Sheet Materials

The trimming behavior of AZ31 and ZEK100 automotive magnesium sheet materials was investigated using lab-based experiments. The effects of trimming process parameters; trimming speed, clearance and tool setup configuration, on quality of trimmed edge were analyzed. Experimental results indicated strong dependence of trimmed edge quality on trimming process conditions. Clearance between punch and die had the most significant influence on the trimming behavior of AZ31 and ZEK100, both the punch load peak and quality of trimmed edge decreased with increase of clearance. The larger is the clearance, the later the crack initiates. ZEK100 was more sensitive to smaller clearance compared to AZ31. Trimmed edge quality of AZ31 and ZEK100 Mg sheets improved with increase in trimming speeds up to 5 mm/sec. The tool setup configuration with cushion consistently resulted in better trimmed edge quality and especially help with burr height reduction which is a key parameter for assessing the quality of the trimmed edge.