Investigation into thread rolling characteristics of subminiature screws according to thread shapes

Recent trends in miniaturization and lightness in portable electronics parts have driven developments in subminiature screws. This study aims to investigate the thread rolling process of a subminiature screw with an outer diameter and pitch of 1.0 and 0.25 mm, respectively. Finite element (FE) analyses were performed for the thread rolling process of symmetric and asymmetric screw threads. Through FE analyses, various process parameters, such as the horizontal and vertical die gap and the rolling stroke, were investigated in terms of the forming accuracy. The material flow characteristics in the thread rolling process of the symmetric and asymmetric screws were also discussed, and the relevant process parameters were determined accordingly. These simulation results were then reflected on real thread rolling processes, from which the symmetric and asymmetric screws could be formed successfully with allowable dimensional accuracy.