Experimental study on single point incremental forming of Inconel 718

Abstract

The contemporary sheet metal industry employs forming methods that use a precise die and punch to form components with precise tolerances. In mass production, the high cost of manufacturing dies and punches is absorbed by the number of components formed, whereas this is not the case for low volume production where it increases the manufacturing cost of the products. To overcome the demand for the development of manufacturing technologies that are both agile and meet industrial requirements, an incremental sheet metal forming experiment was carried out on Inconel 718. The incremental sheet metal forming process in the research stage needs to be improved both in terms of accuracy and product quality. The main process parameters involved in the study are incremental depth, rotational speed, and feed rate of the forming tool. Based on the process parameters, experiments are conducted using the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array design and responses such as geometrical accuracy, surface roughness, and thinning are studied. The forming limit and micro-structural study allow us to understand the forming behavior of Inconel 718, which will enhance the applicability of the material.