Incremental Sheet Metal Forming Process

Incremental sheet metal forming is a forming process for manufacturing complex components in small quantities.

Incremental sheet metal forming process.

These forms are produced at a scale which suggests their use as cladding elements in a building envelope. Basic elements of isf process incremental forming is a advanced technique in which sheet metal is form in step by step incremental feed by deforming tool. Fig 5 basic elements of isf. As a result the incremental sheet forming isf technology is a new possibility to decrease the cost problem in small volume production.

Incremental sheet metal forming ismf has demonstrated its great potential to form complex three dimensional parts without using component specific tools against the conventional stamping operation. This reduces tool costs and the time required to achieve the first finished part. Other micro sheet metal forming processes include 1 incremental or die less forming forming. It introduces the use of metallic or polymeric sheet for small batches production in an economic way without the need of expensive or dedicated tools.

Incremental sheet forming isf is an umbrella term for a few variations of a sheet metal forming technique. Micro sheet metal parts or micro features on sheet metals can also be produced in incremental forming forms such as by using cnc computer numerical control controlled hammering piezoelectric actuated micro probes for dimpling high frequency vibration actuated by which micro features in small and large areas of thin sheet metals down to 10 to 20 μm thickness can be produced 28 2. In comparison to conventional drawing methods complex tools can be dispensed. Incremental sheet forming isf process emerges as an alternative to classic shaping processes.

Isf contains for basic types of elements which is forming tool sheet metal blank holder and cnc machine as shown in fig 5. Two variants of the isf process are used. The sheet is generally formed by a spherically ended indenter which can be attached to a cnc machine and moved over a custom designed numerically controlled tool path. Building on previous and current work this research utilizes single point incremental forming spif and dual sided incremental forming dsif to produce mass customized double curved both positive and negative gaussian curvature three dimensional forms from sheet metal.

Through isf a sheet is formed into the final workpiece through a progression of small incremental and localized deformations.