Numerical simulation and experimental study on incremental forming of sheet metal

In order to improve the efficiency and quality of incremental forming,understand the laws of distortion and the influence of technological parameters on forming,the incremental forming process of sheet metal was studied by finite element method. The distribution of stresses and the changing tendency of thickness were analyzed. Through numerical simulation on different amounts of feed and forming paths,the effects of forming path and feed on forming result were investigated. Results indicate that the maximum stress and the minimum thickness of cone parts occur at the corner in bottom surface. The spiral tool path can improve the capability and quality of incremental forming. Incremental forming test shows that the numerical simulation results agree with the experimental results.