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SPIF-A: on the development of a new concept of incremental forming machine

2014; Technopress; Volume: 49; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.12989/sem.2014.49.5.645

1598-6217

Ricardo J. Alves de Sousa, Jorge Ferreira, João Batista Sá de Farias, João Torrão, Daniel Afonso, Manuel A. Martins,

Metallurgy and Material Forming

This paper presents the design and project of an innovative concept for a Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) Machine. Nowadays, equipment currently available for conducting SPIF result mostly from the adaptation of conventional CNC machine tools that results in a limited range of applications in terms of materials and geometries. There is also a limited market supply of equipment dedicated to Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF), that are costly considering low batches, making it unattractive for industry. Other factors impairing a quicker spread of SPIF are large forming times and poor geometrical accuracy of parts. The following sections will depict the development of a new equipment, designed to overcome some of the limitations of machines currently used, allowing the development of a sounding basis for further studies on the particular features of this process. The equipment here described possesses six-degrees-of freedom for the tool, for the sake of improved flexibility in terms of achievable tool-paths and an extra stiffness provided by a parallel kinematics scheme. A brief state of the art about the existing SPIF machines is provided to support the project's guidelines.