Challenge in magnesium microforming

Microforming is a method of manufacturing near-net shape micro parts by plastic deformation. This method has attracted much attention and is potentially adopted to manufacture various micro parts due to its distinct advantages, such as good strength of the deformed parts, high production rate, less scraps, and low cost. Among the materials studied in microforming research, copper is the most studied material, followed by aluminum and steel. Recently, magnesium has become an interesting research topic since the trend of magnesium application has emerged in electronics and medical fields. However, magnesium has low formability at room temperature that makes magnesium microforming a challenge. Hence, this paper discusses an overview about recent development in magnesium microforming and the challenges in controlling the size effect and formability of magnesium by elevated temperature and grain refinement.