Effects of forming tools and process parameters on surface roughness in incremental sheet forming

Literature has vastly advocated for incremental sheet forming as a significant process for formation of sheet metal components, because of its higher formability in comparison with the rest of metal forming processes such as deep drawing and stamping. Due to high formability of incremental sheet forming it becomes important to investigate the main factors, influencing the quality of forming products. However, less attention has been given to investigate the inconsistencies reflected often in determining the effect of multiple forming parameters and parametric interactions comprising of spindle rotational speed and feed rate, tool size and sheet thickness, sheet thickness and step depth. This study investigates the effect of various principal factors including tool type, tool size, sheet thickness, spindle speed, feed rate, step increment including and their respective interaction on surface roughness. Research data was collected by undertaking extensive literature review of previous studies on incremental sheet forming regarding surface quality. A quantitative one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to analyze the significance and contribution of factors influencing surface quality of sheet forming. The findings highlight the contribution of forming parameters and their combined interactions on surface roughness. Based on the empirical findings, this study derives implications for the optimization of tool type, parametric interactions among principal factors and their respective optimized operational range for incremental sheet forming