Analysis of the section deflection in the incremental sheet metal forming process of the circular cup shape according to the cup geometry

Incremental sheet metal forming can be used to manufacture various products without the punch and die set. However, it is difficult to manufacture the desired shape due to section deflection and springback of the sheet. Section deflection is caused by the force of the blank holder for fixing the sheet and the tool for forming the sheet. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of the section deflection according to the geometries of the circular cup shapes in the sheet incremental forming process. The section deflection increased with an increase in the entering radius and forming angle in the section deflection region. However, section deflection was constant according to the exit radius. In addition, the secondary forming process for reducing the shape error was introduced. The secondary incremental forming process was conducted in the opposite direction. Characteristics of the shape error according to the entering depth of the tool among the forming parameters for reducing the shape error of the cup shape were analyzed. The springback in the cup-shape was reduced by the additional forming process with an optimum entering depth of the tool.