Study on the Incremental Sheet Forming Process with the Ball Type Tool

The incremental sheet forming (ISF) process is a method of forming a metal sheet with a machine tool, such as a CNC or robot arm. In this study, the surface characteristics of the ISF process using the ball type tool and the conventional hemispherical tool were analyzed. Comparative experiments were conducted with the same size of the hemispherical tool and ball type tool. In experiments, the tool feed rate and spindle were fixed, and the step down was set up with seven levels. The surface profiles and roughness such as Ra and Rz after the ISF process with different values of the step down were compared. Additionally, the surface morphologies were analyzed through the scanning electron microscope. A ball type tool which can move and roll, can reduce the effect of friction effectively. As a result, the ISF process with a ball type tool can greatly reduce the damage of the surface of the product.