Low geometric accuracy is one of the main limitations in double-sided incremental forming (DSIF) with a rough surface finish, long forming time, and excessive sheet thinning. The lost contact between the support tool and the sheet is considered the main reason for the geometric error. Toolpath compensations strategies improve geometric precision without adding extra tooling to the setup. It relies on formulas, simulation, and algorithm-based studies to enhance the part accuracy. Toolpath adaptation improves the part accuracy by adding additional equipment such as pneumatically or spring-loaded support tools or changing the conventional toolpath sequence such as accumulative-DSIF (ADSIF) and its variants. It also includes forming multi-region parts with various arrangements. Toolpath adaptation mostly requires experimental trial-and-error experiments to adjust parameters to obtain the desired shape with precision. Material redistribution strategies are effective for high-wall-angle parts.
1. Introduction
Ideas need to be converted quickly into products and analyzed to meet the requirements of the industrial revolution. Manufacturing processes having less changeover time and tooling cost can fulfill the prerequisite of mass customization and prototype development. The prototype allows improvement in the design in the early stages of product development. Conventional manufacturing processes require a long time and capital for small batch production and prototype development. Forming operations require component-specific and expensive dies as their design and preparation are time-consuming. In recent years, incremental sheet forming (ISF) has gained significant attraction due to its capability for prototype and small-batch productions with short lead time and generic tooling. In ISF, flat metal sheets are incrementally deformed into complex three-dimensional components using a computer numerically controlled (CNC) generic tool. During the forming, the sheet is peripherally clamped. Higher formability, less forming forces, high geometric flexibility, less lead time, low cost for production of customized and low-volume components than stamping and deep drawing are the salient features of ISF. Furthermore, a wide range of materials can be formed such as steel, aluminum, copper, polymers, titanium, etc. It has considerable potential in the aerospace industry, prototyping in automotive, on-site repair for military applications, personalized products in the medical, architecture, etc.
[1][2].
Existing experimental configurations for ISF can broadly be classified into three categories: single-point incremental forming (SPIF), two-point incremental forming (TPIF), and DSIF. In SPIF, a material sheet is clamped peripherally and deformed locally using a small hemispherical-ended tool moving along a predefined toolpath on one side. The local deformations accumulate to impart a required shape to the sheet (
Figure 1a). The part accuracy in SPIF is low due to unavoidable and unintended bending of the sheet. The attempts to improve the part accuracy by processing it independently in different regions were unsuccessful. A closed-loop strategy based on spatial impulse responses and partially cut out blank to avoid global deformation was also unable to improve the SPIF accuracy
[3][4]. Nasulea and Oancea utilized a circumferential hammering forming tool for improving geometric precision
[5]. Different researchers have also evaluated other parameters such as tool size, step size, lubricant type, forming speeds, sheet thickness estimation on formability, sheet thickness, and geometric precision
[2][6][7][8][9]. Various options were proposed and trialed; however, part accuracy did not significantly improve in SPIF.
In TPIF, an extra full or partial die is used on the other side of the sheet to enhance the part accuracy (
Figure 1b)
[7]. Tool diameter, step size, and other parameters for geometric accuracy improvement in TPIF were studied. Improvement in geometric accuracy was reported; however, process flexibility is compromised
[4][10]. These limitations in SPIF and TPIF lead to the development of DSIF, which enhances part accuracy while maintaining flexibility. In the DSIF process, a second support tool is used on the opposite side of the sheet, acting as local support for the master (forming) tool (
Figure 1c). The CAD/CAM software usually gives the master tool coordinates. The coordinates of the support tool are determined relative to the master tool position. The process sequence is almost similar to the SPIF process except for an additional support tooling and synchronized movement with the master tool (
Figure 1c).
Many in-depth reviews on the ISF have been published in recent years. Park and Kim
[11] studied the formability improvement by the ISF process. Jeswiet et al.
[2] presented a study on the advantages, disadvantages, different variants of the ISF process, formability, and tools used in the ISF process. Reddy et al.
[12] presented an overview on SPIF, TPIF, and DSIF effects on accuracy, formability, and surface finish improvements. Behera et al.
[13] discussed the progress in the SPIF from 2005–2015 and covered almost all the aspects of SPIF. Li et al.
[14] presented a study on deformation mechanism, modeling techniques, forming force prediction, and process investigations. Duflou et al.
[1] reported process fundamentals, process window enhancement, toolpath strategies, and simulation work performed in the SPIF process in detail. Ai and Long
[15] studied the deformation and fracture mechanics of the ISF process. Lu et al.
[16] reviewed the work performed on the geometric accuracy in the ISF field. Peng et al.
[17] published the review mainly focusing on the DSIF deformation, fracture mechanisms, and formability improvement. Gohil and Modi presented a detailed review of the effect of process parameters on performance measures such as geometric precision, forming time, surface finish, material yield, and formability, etc., in the ISF process
[18]. Tomasz et al. studied the SPIF process with a particular interest in the impact of process conditions on the surface finish and formability limit for lightweight materials
[19].
2. Process Mechanism of DSIF
2.1. Toolpath Generation for DSIF Process
The toolpath strategy categorizes DSIF into conventional-DSIF (DSIF) and accumulative-DSIF (ADSIF). In DSIF, the tools’ downward movement from the outer toward the inner annulus obtains the required profile. The part profile is obtained from the synchronized movement of tools via in-plane and normal to the in-plane direction such as in the SPIF process (
Figure 2a). In ADSIF (
Figure 2b), both tools move horizontally outward to form the components. The already processed inner material moves downward by rigid body motion
[20][21].