ABSTRACT
Incremental sheet forming (ISF) is an innovative sheet metal forming technique. Small, incremental deformations form a sheet into the final workpiece. Improved formability, minimal set-up cost, and flexibility are some of the major advantages of the ISF process. However, the key challenges are uneven sheet thinning, reduced surface roughness, and geometric inaccuracy. For the study in this chapter, the process parameters percentage step-over, tool profile, and toolpath are varied at three levels, and the performance is measured in terms of final sheet thickness. The three levels of step-over were 40%, 50%, and 60% of tool diameter, and two nonconventional tool paths were considered—zig with contour and trochoidal—as well as conventional constant-depth tool paths. In addition, three tool profiles were used in the experiments: flat with corner radii, hemispherical, and elliptical. The ANOVA results show that the tool path is the most significant factor, followed by tool profile, and step-over was insignificant. The z-level tool path and zig with contour tool path offer the higher sheet thicknesses of the resultant parts.
