Incremental roller-flanging of thick metal sheets

Metal forming industry is frequently characterized by the demand of small-batch productions to manufacture highly customized products. Apart from the accuracy that is mandatory in high-tech applications, one of the main requirements remains the economic competitiveness that becomes critical in the case of the deformation of thick metal sheets due to the relevant forming loads and the large size of the machines that are required to perform such processes. These problems are partially solved by using incremental forming approaches, in which the deformation is gradually performed by the use of one (single point) or two (double-sided) tools that are usually made to slide on the metal sheet surface while they impose the desired deformation. The paper aims at introducing an innovative concept of incremental forming machine to perform double-sided incremental bends, specifically developed for thick metal sheets. The increased flexibility and the possibility to manufacture sound parts with reduced bending forces are shown and discussed.