Incremental forming for aluminum automotive technology

Insufficient formability can be a major issue in the manufacturing of complex parts, particularly in aluminum alloys that have less formability when compared to steel. The approach which is the subject of this work is to determine the technical feasibility of partial forming, followed by a fast heat treatment and then further deformation. Alloys for consideration would include both 5xxx and 6xxx alloys typically used on interior and exterior automotive panels. The heat treatment regimes used for 6xxx alloys did not affect the material structure, which was confirmed by microstructural analysis and comparison of mechanical properties before and after the heat treatment. Experiments on 5xxx alloys indicated relative improvement of 300% or more. Regimes of material deformation and heat treatment will be presented.