Theoretical and experimental analysis of the dieless incremental sheet forming process

Incremental sheet forming (ISF) is a very promising technology to manufacture sheet metal products by the CNC controlled movement of a simple forming tool. Although it is a slow process, the cost reduction linked to the fact that punches or dies are avoided, makes it a very suitable process for low series production, in comparison with the traditional stamping or drawing processes. Nevertheless, the process still needs a further optimization to guarantee the reliability required for industrial applications. Process analysis based on experimental tests and modelling is required to analyse the effect of process parameters on the characteristics of incrementally formed parts and to go deeper in the understanding of the process itself. Therefore, this paper shows preliminary results obtained with experimental tests and a simple FEM model which gives accurate prediction of some characteristics of the formed parts.