Electric hot incremental forming of low carbon steel sheet: accuracy improvement

Currently, incremental forming (IF) is known as a novel technology, which promises to a higher flexibility in process, lower production price and lead time, in addition to improved formability of material compared to conventional forming processes. However, relatively low dimensional accuracy of finish part has been frequently considered as the major drawback of IF in the literature. This research, extending the application of electric hot incremental forming to low carbon steel DC04, aimed to enhance the dimensional accuracy of formed part. In order to avoid discharge phenomenon during the forming process, a new method of helical tool path optimization without interference was proposed. The details regarding the appropriate parameters for forming pyramid frustums of acceptable geometrical accuracy are provided as well.