The incremental sheet forming process is a manufacturing technology based on the material accumulation method.
It was born in the late 1980s and is considered a major achievement in the manufacturing field. This technology manufactures parts by stacking materials layer by layer. Unlike traditional machining methods such as turning and milling, the incremental sheet forming process has higher flexibility and adaptability.
Basic principles of incremental sheet forming process
The core idea of the incremental sheet forming process is to decompose the complex three-dimensional part design into a series of local forming tasks at the two-dimensional level. Specifically, the process uses CNC machine tools and special ball head tools to control the forming process of the sheet through CNC instructions. During the forming process, no special mold is required, but the machining trajectory is changed by adjusting the CNC instructions to form sheet parts of different shapes.
Application scenarios and advantages of incremental sheet forming process
The incremental sheet forming process is suitable for the processing of free-form surface parts with small batches and complex shapes. Since it does not require special molds and can form complex surface shapes in local areas, this process has significant advantages in manufacturing complex parts. In addition, since the forming force required for local forming is small, the energy consumption of the equipment is low and there is no noise pollution, which belongs to the category of green processing.
The latest research and development trends of incremental sheet forming process
In recent years, the incremental sheet forming process has been applied in large enterprises such as Boeing. For example, Boeing has developed a multi-stage incremental sheet forming system, which includes a forming tool and a control unit that communicates with it. The control unit determines the tool path according to the convex hull of the target structure, and gradually forms the intermediate structure and the final target structure. This system and method significantly improves work efficiency and processing accuracy.
What products are suitable for the incremental sheet forming process
The incremental sheet forming process is suitable for processing basins, plates, bowls, and products in industries such as plastic packaging, lighting, advertising, and decoration.
Of course, as a metal forming process, it is also used in various fields. If you also need to customize metal parts in large quantities, you can choose to cooperate with Mulan Group. Mulan Group has 12 years of experience in processing customized metal component products, has complete certificates and qualifications, and its customers cover more than 30 countries and regions around the world.
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