Fabrication of Saddle-Shaped Surfaces by a Laser Forming Process: An Experimental and Statistical Investigation

Abstract

Laser forming is a powerful tool for fabricating complicated shapes economically. The pattern of laser movement (irradiating scheme) has an essential effect on the shaped form. In this article, the forming of a saddle-shaped surface will be investigated experimentally by the laser forming process. A spiral irradiating scheme is implemented to manufacture a saddle-shaped surface. The main idea of this study is the investigation of the simultaneous variations of the process parameters and their effect on the curvature of the final part. The process parameters of the study are the spiral pitch, number of spiral passes, and movement pattern (In-to-Out or reversely Out-to-In scanning path). The response surface methodology is selected for experimentation. The measurement of the deformation results shows that the deformations of laser-formed saddle-shaped surfaces decrease with an increase in the spiral pitch of the path. Additionally, the deformations of the saddle-shaped surface increase by increasing the number of spiral passes. The results demonstrate that the pattern movement has little effect on the deformations of laser-formed saddle-shaped surfaces and an Out-to-In spiral pattern movement is advised. At last, the proper input variables to obtain the maximum value of displacements for the saddle point are determined (10 mm spiral pitch, three spiral passes, and Out-to-In pattern movement).