Analysis of Springback in Incremental Forming

Abstract

Incremental forming process is having greater industrial relevance for developing minimum or batch number of pieces by forming metals to complex shapes even without using a die. The springback phenomenon is an inherent feature of this incremental forming process, which is to be identified and controlled for precision in the dimension of metal product developed, in the context of incremental forming. This project focuses on the comprehensive analysis of springback in incremental forming of aluminium, copper and stainless steel sheets using a CNC milling machine, with multipoint forming tool. The study involves the systematic variation of key parameters such as tool speed, feed and vertical step depth in nine distinct experiments for each material following Taguchi’s orthogonal array. The springback of each formed shape is meticulously measured using a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), and the results are compared with the given dimensions to identify relationships between the selected parameters and the observed springback behaviour. The springback results from different experiments have been compared to find pattern, trends and propose optimized adjustments to minimize springback.