Study of the Effect of Process Parameters on Surface Profile Accuracy in Single-Point Incremental Sheet Forming of AA1050-H14 Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

Single-point incremental forming is an innovative flexible and inexpensive technique to form sheet products when prototypes or small batches are required. The process allows complex geometries to be produced using a computer numerical control machine, eliminating the need for a special die. This study reports on the effects of four important single-point incremental forming process parameters on produced surface profile accuracies. The profile accuracy was estimated by measuring the side angle errors and surface roughness and also waviness and circularity of the product inner surface. Full factorial design of experiments was used to plan the study, and the analysis of variance was used to analyze and interpret the results. The results indicate that the tool diameter (d), step depth (s), and sheet thickness (t) have significant effects on the produced profile accuracy, while the feed rate (f) is not significant. As a general rule, thin sheets with greater tool diameters yielded the best surface quality. The results also show that controlling all surface quality features is complex because of the contradicting effects of, and interactions between, a number of the process parameters.