Small batch production of sheet metal mezo-sized components

Small batch and prototype production of sheet metal components has to be flexible and capable to quickly adapts to market demands. Consequentially, new technologies and manufacturing concepts are developing and evolving in order to enable a fast and reliable production of complex components and parts. One of those alternative technologies is incremental sheet metal forming. Comparing to conventional sheet metal forming in one or more steps with complex geometry tools, in incremental sheet metal forming a simple geometry tool is used for incrementally form the workpiece up to the final shape. Due to incremental insertion of deformations in the workpiece and several other factors, in the tension stress area the forming limit curve is much higher comparing to conventional forming. An additional benefit of incremental forming is that no lubricating mediums are needed, which in most cases represent an environmental hazard. Using a high-speed water jet instead of a solid-state tool with defined geometry for incremental sheet metal forming brings additional advantages. An intensive cooling of the forming region by the water jet is very appropriate, especially in cases of material, which being hardened at elevated temperatures. In the proposed project the potentials of incremental sheet metal forming by a solid-state tool and by a high-speed water jet will be analyzed and evaluated. Both technologies will be compared with conventional forming processes using test components. Materials suitable for incremental forming will be evaluated by means of formability. In the analyze of incremental sheet metal forming with both, solid-state tool and high-speed water jet, a machine set up, tool kinematics, optimal machining strategies and optimal process parameters will be defined. This research will be focused on incremental forming of mezo-size components, with the aim to extend this technology on other component size in further researches.