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Manufacture of an aerospace component with hybrid incremental forming methodology

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Abstract

Single point incremental forming is a promising sheet metal forming technique for small batch production. However, the technique is unable to manufacture vertical walls without significant thickness variation and geometrical errors. Two-point incremental forming has the capability of manufacturing vertical walls but requires actuators and intricate rig designs. This paper presents a design facilitating vertical wall manufacturing using a die similar to that used for two-point incremental forming but without actuators. The geometry is created in six passes with a toolpath that can be generated on any leading computer-aided manufacturing software. Manufacturing with this technique reduces geometrical errors in critical areas and improves thickness distribution. This research will be of interest to anyone looking to manufacture prototypes with flat-based geometries in a cost-effective manner.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for providing financial support. The authors would like to thank the technical staff members of the Machine Shop, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University and Prof. Chris K. Mechefske for collaborating on the project. Authors would also like to thank Dr. Jessica Hiscocks for her additional help.

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  1. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada

    Pranav Gupta, Alexander Szekeres & Jacob Jeswiet

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  1. Pranav Gupta
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Correspondence to Pranav Gupta.

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Gupta, P., Szekeres, A. & Jeswiet, J. Manufacture of an aerospace component with hybrid incremental forming methodology. Int J Mater Form 14, 293–308 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12289-020-01601-9

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