An automated solution for fixtureless sheet metal forming

Manual forming of sheet metal parts through traditional panel beating is a highly skilled profession used in many industries, particularly for sample manufacturing or repair and maintenance. However, this skill is becoming gradually isolated mainly due to the high cost and lack of expertise. Nonethe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of advanced manufacturing technology 2016-01, Vol.82 (1-4), p.315-326
Main Authors: Ilangovan, Balaji, Monfared, Radmehr P., Jackson, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appliance industry
Automation
CAE) and Design
Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD
Deformation mechanisms
Engineering
Industrial and Production Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Mechatronics
Media Management
Metal forming
Metal sheets
Original Article
Product design
Prototyping
Robot arms
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Summary:Manual forming of sheet metal parts through traditional panel beating is a highly skilled profession used in many industries, particularly for sample manufacturing or repair and maintenance. However, this skill is becoming gradually isolated mainly due to the high cost and lack of expertise. Nonetheless, a cost-effective and flexible approach to forming sheet metal parts could significantly assist various industries by providing a method for fast prototyping sheet metal parts. The development of a new fixtureless sheet metal forming approach is discussed in this article. The proposed approach, named Mechatroforming ® , consists of integrated mechanisms to manipulate sheet metal parts by a robotic arm under a controlled hammering tool. The method includes mechatronics-based monitoring and control systems for (near) real-time prediction and control of incremental deformations of parts. This article includes description of the proposed approach, the theoretical and modelling backgrounds used to predict the forming, skills learned from manual operations, and proposed automation system being built.
ISSN:0268-3768
1433-3015
DOI:10.1007/s00170-015-7366-x