Study on Step Depth for Part Accuracy Improvement in Incremental Sheet Forming Process

Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) is a new-emerging sheet forming process well suited for small batch production or prototyping because it does not need any dedicated dies or punches. In this forming process, sheet metal parts are formed by a smooth-end tool in a stepwise way, during which plastic deformation is highly localized around the tool end. The part geometric accuracy obtained in the current ISF process, however, has not met the industry specification for precise part fabrication. This paper deals with a study on step depth, a critical parameter in ISF, for improving the geometric accuracy, surface quality and formability. Two sets of experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of step depth on part quality. Dimensional accuracy, surface morphology and material fracture of deformed parts were compared and analysed. An optimum value of step depth was suggested for forming a truncated cone. The present work provided significant fundamental information for the development of an advanced ISF control system on tool path control and optimization.