Markus Bambach

Strategies to improve the geometric accuracy in asymmetric single point incremental forming

Asymmetric incremental sheet forming (AISF) is a manufacturing process for the small batch production of sheet metal parts. In AISF, a sheet metal part is formed by a forming tool that moves under CNC control. AISF currently has two dominant process limits: sheet thinning and a limited geometric accuracy. This paper focuses on the latter limit. It is shown with a pyramidal part that multi-stage forming can yield an increased accuracy compared to single-stage forming. However, due to residual stresses induced during forming, the accuracy of the as-formed part can be lost if the part is trimmed after forming. A case study with a car fender section shows that the geometric accuracy of the final part can be improved compared to single-stage forming by a combination of multi-stage forming and stress-relief annealing before trimming.

Laser-assisted asymmetric incremental sheet forming of titanium sheet metal parts

Asymmetric Incremental Sheet Forming (AISF) is a relatively new manufacturing process. In AISF, a CNC driven forming tool imposes a localized plastic deformation as it moves along the contour of the desired part. Thus, the final shape is obtained by a sequence of localized plastic deformations. AISF is suitable for small series production of sheet metal parts as needed in aeronautical and medical applications. Two main process limits restrict the range of application of AISF in these fields. These are the low geometrical accuracy of parts made from titanium alloys or high strength steels and, for titanium alloys, the limited formability at room temperature. In this paper a new concept for laser-assisted AISF is introduced including the required components. Furthermore, the CAX tools used for programming the NC path for the forming tool and the laser spot are illustrated. First experimental results show that the formability of the alloy Ti Grade 5 (TiAl6V4), which is usually used in aeronautic applications, can be increased.

Technology roadmapping for the production in high-wage countries

Manufacturing companies from high-wage countries must focus on future markets and products to remain competitive and to ensure long-term success. In a dynamic, global environment it is necessary to further improve the underlying production technologies and methodologies to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. Thus, a technology roadmap for advanced production technologies and approaches has been developed. The roadmap provides an overview of relevant technologies and their technological readiness. It points out challenges which manufacturing companies in high-wage countries have to face. Moreover, the applied roadmapping process is used to align the research activities within the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries” to the relevant topics concerning the cluster’s four main research areas, namely the individualized, virtual, hybrid and self-optimizing production. This paper describes the roadmapping process as well as its main results. Regarding each of the four research fields, a technology radar including exemplary technologies evaluated e.g., by their state of development is presented. Furthermore, relevant challenges, future trends and scientific tasks are discussed as main drivers influencing the cluster’s research activities.

Investigation on Incremental Sheet Forming Combined with Laser Heating and Stretch Forming for the Production of Lightweight Structures

Asymmetric Incremental Sheet Forming (AISF) is a process for the flexible production of sheet metal parts. In AISF, a part is obtained as the sum of localized plastic deformations produced by a simple forming tool that, in most configurations, moves under CNC control. Flexible processes with low tooling effort like AISF are suitable for sectors with small lot sizes but premium products, e.g. for the aviation and the automotive sector. Four main process limits restrict the range of application of AISF and its take-up in industry. These are: (i) material thinning, (ii) limited geometrical accuracy, (iii) the process duration and (iv) the calculation time and accuracy of process modelling. Moreover, the material spectrum of AISF for structural parts is mostly restricted to cold workable materials like steel and aluminum. This paper presents some new investigations of incremental sheet forming combined with laser heating or stretch forming as possible hybrid approaches to overcome the above mentioned limitations of AISF. These hybrid incremental sheet forming processes can increase the technological and economical potentials of AISF. A possible application is the fabrication of lightweight sheet metal parts as individual parts or small batches, e.g. for the aerospace industry. The present study provides a short overview of the state of the art of AISF, introduces the new hybrid process variations of AISF and compares the capabilities of the hybrid processes and the standard AISF process. Finally, two examples for applications are presented: (i) the production of a part used in an airplane for which the manufacturing steps consist of die manufacture, sheet metal forming by means of stretch forming combined with AISF and a final trimming operation using a single hybrid machine set-up; (ii) laser-assisted AISF for magnesium alloys.

A New Incremental Sheet Forming Process Based on a Flexible Supporting Die System

Nowadays many industrial sectors use forming processes in order to produce sheet metal components. The most widely used processes are stamping and deep drawing, which are based on big, costly dies and presses. These processes require large initial investment and specific dies for each part, which makes them inflexible and only profitable for large batches. A possible approach to small series production is based on the incremental sheet forming technique (ISF), which consists of a gradual plastic deformation of flat sheet metal by the action of a CNC controlled tool. Equipment such as a 3-axis milling machine can be used for ISF, such that the initial investment costs in ISF are around 5-10% of those required to set up a production line for conventional stamping. In its current stage of development, dedicated dies are often used as support tools in ISF. However, due to the fact that the forming forces are low in ISF, the dies can be made out of cheap materials like resin or wood. Although this is an additional advantage over stamping, the need to use additional tools still reduces the flexibility of the process. The present paper details the concept of a truly “dieless” incremental forming process. In the framework of the SCULPTOR EU project, the authors are working on an innovative concept of incremental sheet metal forming which is based on the replacement of the commonly used dies by a second forming tool which moves in a coordinated way with the first forming tool, thus creating a flexible die system, which does not depend on the specific geometry of the part to be formed. The present work summarizes the results obtained up to now in two fields: (i) the development of a prototype for the flexible die system to be included both in milling machines or combined with robots and (ii) process modelling to improve the understanding of the process.

Towards integrative computational materials engineering of steel components

This article outlines on-going activities at the RWTH Aachen University aiming at a standardized, modular, extendable and open simulation platform for materials processing. This platform on the one hand facilitates the information exchange between different simulation tools and thus strongly reduces the effort to design/re-design production processes. On the other hand, tracking of simulation results along the entire production chain provides new insights into mechanisms, which cannot be explained on the basis of individual simulations. Respective simulation chains provide e.g. the basis for the determination of materials and component properties, like e.g. distortions, for an improved product quality, for more efficient and more reliable production processes and many further aspects. After a short introduction to the platform concept, actual examples for different test case scenarios will be presented and discussed.

Process Limits of Stretch and Shrink Flanging by Incremental Sheet Metal Forming

ncremental Sheet Forming (ISF) is a manufacturing technology for individualized and small batch production. Among the opportunities this technology provides there is the possibility of a short ramp up time and to cover the whole production chain of sheet metal parts by one machine setup. Since recent works showed that manufacturing of industrial parts is feasible, finishing operations such as flanging and trimming gain importance. This paper shows first works on the technological capabilities of using ISF for stretch and shrink flanging. Due to the localized forming zone the absence of surrounding clamping devices for ISF results in differing material flow behaviour. The influences of tool path characteristics, flange length as well as radii are analysed to set up a process window.

Comparison of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Scalmalloy® Produced by Selective Laser Melting and Laser Metal Deposition

The second-generation aluminum-magnesium-scandium (Al-Mg-Sc) alloy, which is often referred to as Scalmalloy®, has been developed as a high-strength aluminum alloy for selective laser melting (SLM). The high-cooling rates of melt pools during SLM establishes the thermodynamic conditions for a fine-grained crack-free aluminum structure saturated with fine precipitates of the ceramic phase Al3-Sc. The precipitation allows tensile and fatigue strength of Scalmalloy® to exceed those of AlSi10Mg by ~70%. Knowledge about properties of other additive manufacturing processes with slower cooling rates is currently not available. In this study, two batches of Scalmalloy® processed by SLM and laser metal deposition (LMD) are compared regarding microstructure-induced properties. Microstructural strengthening mechanisms behind enhanced strength and ductility are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fatigue damage mechanisms in low-cycle (LCF) to high-cycle fatigue (HCF) are a subject of study in a combined strategy of experimental and statistical modeling for calculation of Woehler curves in the respective regimes. Modeling efforts are supported by non-destructive defect characterization in an X-ray computed tomography (µ-CT) platform. The investigations show that Scalmalloy® specimens produced by LMD are prone to extensive porosity, contrary to SLM specimens, which is translated to ~30% lower fatigue strength.

Manufacturing of Individualized Cranial Implants Using Two Point Incremental Sheet Metal Forming

A new approach for the production of cranial implants using CNC-controlled two point incremental sheet forming (TPIF) is presented. The use of titanium sheets for implant manufacturing offers the possibility for production of relatively thin parts involving a lower amount of scrap compared to machining. For this purpose a forming process is required which is suitable for economical production of individualized parts with an adequate accuracy. TPIF is a process suitable for prototyping and small batch production due to the minor tooling effort and high flexibility compared to traditional sheet forming processes. Furthermore, incremental sheet forming allows the processing of pure titanium sheets suitable for medical applications.

Influence of Different Interpolation Techniques on the Determination of the Critical Conditions for the Onset of Dynamic Recrystallisation

Accurate modeling of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) is highly important for forming processes like hot rolling and forging. To correctly predict the overall level of dynamic recrystallization reached, it is vital to determine and model the critical conditions that mark the start of DRX. For the determination of the critical conditions, a criterion has been proposed by Poliak and Jonas. It states that the onset of DRX can be detected from an inflection point in the work hardening rate as a function of flow stress. The work hardening rate is the derivative of the flow stress with respect to strain. Flow curves are in general measured at a certain sampling rate, yielding tabular stress-strain data, which are per se not continuously differentiable. In addition, inevitable jitter occurs in measured flow curves. Hence, flow curves need to be interpolated and smoothed before the work hardening rate and further derivatives necessary for evaluating the criterion by Poliak and Jonas can be computed. In this paper, the polynomial interpolation originally proposed by Poliak and Jonas is compared to a new approach based on radial basis functions using a thin plate spline kernel, which combines surface interpolation of various flow curves and smoothing in a single step. It is shown for different steel grades that the interpolation method used has a crucial influence on the resulting critical conditions for DRX, and that a simultaneous evaluation by surface interpolation might yield consistent critical conditions over a range of testing temperatures.