LAUSR

Abstract Although Incremental Sheet Forming has overcome a number of challenges, its notorious lack of accuracy and need for high formability withholds this process from wide industrial adoption. This study aims to improve accuracy and formability through the use of an elliptical tool. The increased freedom of combining a large curvature in one direction and small curvature in the other allows to tailor the contact area between tool and sheet. An initial explorative study is described in this paper. A 3° increase in maximum forming angle of an AA5754 aluminium pyramid, is observed when using an elliptical tool while it is rotating around its axis. When using the tool in a lengthwise fixed orientation with respect to its forming direction, a 41% reduction in bulging of the wall is noted compared to a standard hemispherical tipped tool. This increased accuracy is accompanied by a reduction of forming forces and twisting.