Improvement of Geometric Accuracy in Incremental Forming by Using a Squeezing Toolpath Strategy With Two Forming Tools

Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) is plagued by an unavoidable and unintended bending in the region of the sheet between the current tool position and the fixture, which leads to significant geometric inaccuracies. Double Sided Incremental Forming (DSIF) uses two tools, one on each side of the sheet to form the sheet into the desired shape. This work explores the capabilities of DSIF in terms of improving the geometric accuracy as compared to SPIF by using a novel toolpath strategy in which the sheet is locally squeezed between the two tools. Experiments and simulations are performed to show that this strategy can improve the geometric accuracy of the component significantly. An examination of the forming forces indicates that after a certain amount of deformation using this strategy a loss of contact occurs between the bottom tool and the sheet. The effects of this on the geometric accuracy are discussed as well.