Effect of process parameters on formability in two-point incremental forming-machining of planar and twisted AA5083 blades

The deformation machining process (DMP) involves machining and incremental forming of thin structures. It can be applied for manufacturing products such as curved-surface blades without using 5-axis computerised numerical control machines. This work presents the effect of tool diameter and forming temperature on spring-back and dimensional accuracy of a simple fabricated part. The results of the first phase of the study are utilised to design the fabrication process of a curved surface blade. A feature-based algorithm is used to design the tool path for the forming process. The dimensional accuracy of the final product is improved through warm forming, two-point incremental forming, and extension of the bending zone to the outside of the product edges. The results show that DMP can be used to fabricate complex curved-surface workpieces with acceptable dimensional accuracy.

Design and manufacturing of an innovative rolling ball tool: A step forward towards the development of SPIF process

Incremental sheet forming (ISF) is an innovative forming technology which is widely used in various sectors of mechanical production. This is particularly useful for rapid prototyping and limited batch without a specific die. A new class of this method is single-point incremental forming (SPIF). This paper presents a comprehensive experimental investigation on the SPIF of Aluminum sheets, and, in particular, the influence of the forming tool is taken into account. A new rolling ball tool is designed to follow this, and the formability of the Aluminum sheets under the SPIF procedure is investigated for both new and conventional tools. Moreover, a number of important process parameters such as the feed rate, forming force, and surface roughness are considered in the experiments’ design. Finally, the optimal conditions in achieving a developed SPIF procedure in terms of the mentioned factors are reported and discussed. The findings of this work suggest that the surface quality after the forming process can be enhanced by 55% when using the new designed tool, while the forming force is reduced by 38% at the same time.

A Review on Part Geometric Precision Improvement Strategies in Double-Sided Incremental Forming

Low geometric accuracy is one of the main limitations in double-sided incremental forming (DSIF) with a rough surface finish, long forming time, and excessive sheet thinning. The lost contact between the support tool and the sheet is considered the main reason for the geometric error. Researchers presented different solutions for geometric accuracy improvement, such as toolpath compensation, adaptation, material redistribution, and heat-assisted processes. Toolpath compensations strategies improve geometric precision without adding extra tooling to the setup. It relies on formulas, simulation, and algorithm-based studies to enhance the part accuracy. Toolpath adaptation improves the part accuracy by adding additional equipment such as pneumatically or spring-loaded support tools or changing the conventional toolpath sequence such as accumulative-DSIF (ADSIF) and its variants. It also includes forming multi-region parts with various arrangements. Toolpath adaptation mostly requires experimental trial-and-error experiments to adjust parameters to obtain the desired shape with precision. Material redistribution strategies are effective for high-wall-angle parts. It is the less studied area in the geometric precision context in the DSIF. The heat-assisted process mainly concentrates on hard-to-form material. It can align itself to any toolpath compensation or adaptation strategy. This work aims to provide DSIF variants and studies, which focus on improving geometric accuracy using various methodologies. It includes a brief survey of tool force requirements for different strategies, sheet thickness variation in DSIF, and support tool role on deformation and fracture mechanism. Finally, a brief discussion and future work are suggested based on the insights from several articles.

Formability of Aluminum Alloys During Single Point Incremental Forming – A Review

Single point incremental sheet metal forming has passed through a period of ample improvement with developing responsiveness from research societies and industries globally. The process has expressively spared the practice of using costly dies, which makes it an appropriate process for manufacturing prototypes and small batch production. It also discovers easiness in fabricating components of timeworn equipment. Additionally, in recent years, aluminum alloys become the most commonly used materials in the automotive, aeronautics, and transportation industries for their structural and other applications. The effect of various process parameters on the formability of Single Point Incremental Forming of aluminum alloys has been critically surveyed. Ultimately, this article also debated the dares associated with the Single Point Incremental Forming process and recommended some correlated research regions which probably charm significant research considerations in the future.

Hybrid Manufacturing of Stiffening Grooves in Additive Deposited Thin Parts

This paper is focused on the hybridization of additive manufacturing with single-point incremental forming to produce stiffening grooves in thin metal parts. An analytical model built upon in-plane stretching of a membrane is provided to determine the tool force as a function of the required groove depth and to estimate the maximum allowable groove depth that can be formed without tearing. The results for additively deposited stainless-steel sheets show that the proposed analytical model can replicate incremental plastic deformation of the stiffening grooves in good agreement with experimental observations and measurements. Anisotropy and lower formability caused by the dendritic-based microstructure of the additively deposited stainless-steel sheets justifies the reason why the maximum allowable depth of the stiffening grooves is approximately 27% smaller than that obtained for the wrought commercial sheets of the same material that are used for comparison purposes.