Experimental investigation of AA6061 sheet metal deformation strategy for flange edge forming using single point incremental forming process

In this article, two different deformation strategies of single point incremental forming were investigated for producing a circular flange from AA6061 aluminum sheet with a thickness of 1mm. The effect of parameters such as step increment, tool diameter, initial height of the flange free edge, and deformation strategy on dimensional accuracy and thickness distribution was investigated Results revealed that employing the 2S tool path strategy, which involves a multi-stage forming process, significantly enhanced dimensional accuracy in flanging for a 5mm free edge compared to the 1S tool path strategy, a single-stage process. Additionally, the initial height of the flange free edge that could be formed was greater in the multi-stage 2S strategy. The thickness distribution of the 1S strategy exhibited a 1.02% improvement over the 2S strategy for a 5mm free edge, whereas for a 10mm free edge, the 2S strategy showed a 2.15% improvement compared to the 1S strategy. It was also observed that with increasing tool diameter and step increment, dimensional accuracy increased and part thickness decreased with increasing tool diameter and step increment.