Rotational Vibration Assisted Increment Sheet Forming by Novel Tooling (RV-ISF)

渐进式板材成形（ISF）是一种灵活、成本效益高、能源和资源效率高的工艺。它只需要一个简单的工具，通过沿着从产品的CAD模型直接创建的预定义的工具路径移动工具来增量地变形板材材料。无需使用模具，模具或重型成型机，它可以灵活地制造具有复杂几何形状的小批量或定制板材产品。然而，现有的ISF工艺不能制造难以成形的材料，如高强度铝、镁和钛合金，因为这些材料在室温下的延展性有限。EPSRC的后续项目旨在以EPSRC冒险制造补助金（EP/T005254/1）的初步成功为基础，开发旋转振动辅助增量板成形（RV-ISF）工艺，以制造工业应用的难成型材料。RV-ISF工艺以新型ISF工具为中心，在ISF加工过程中产生低频和高振幅振动，从而产生局部加热和材料软化，从而提高材料的塑性，而无需额外加热或额外的能量输入。通过开发和实施新工具，RV-ISF实验测试表明，一种众所周知的难成形材料的成形深度增加了300%，通过微观结构细化，平均晶粒尺寸减少了70%以上，平均硬度提高了20%，平均表面粗糙度降低了37%。为了充分利用EPSRC冒险制造基金（EP/T005254/1）的研究成果，该后续项目组建了一个多学科团队，他们在柔性板材成型、材料科学和塑性、先进制造技术、新型工具和定制机器系统方面具有专业知识。目的是深入了解RV-ISF加工条件下的材料变形机制，并利用这些新知识来扩展使用这种创新工艺可以成功制造的材料类型和产品。在与项目合作伙伴合作的过程中，后续项目旨在提供一系列可演示的产品，并参与传播活动，以便将已开发的灵活、具有成本效益和可持续的成型工艺迅速转化为英国的医疗、汽车、航空航天和核工业。

Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) is a flexible, cost effective, energy and resource efficient process. It only requires a simple tool to deform the sheet material incrementally by moving the tool along a predefined tool path created directly from the CAD model of a product. Without using moulds, dies or heavy-duty forming machines, it is flexible to manufacture small-batch or customised sheet products with complex geometries. However, existing ISF processes cannot manufacture hard-to-form materials, such as high strength aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys, because these materials have limited ductility at room temperature. This EPSRC follow-on project aims to build on the initial success of an EPSRC Adventurous Manufacturing grant (EP/T005254/1) in developing a rotational vibration assisted incremental sheet forming (RV-ISF) process to manufacture hard-to-form materials for industrial applications. The RV-ISF process is centred on a novel ISF tooling to generate low frequency and high amplitude vibration in ISF processing, which produces localised heating and material softening therefore improve the material ductility without the need of additional heating or extra energy input. By developing and implementing the novel tooling, RV-ISF experimental testing of a well-known hard-to-form material has demonstrated a 300% increase in forming depth, more than 70% reduction of average grain size through microstructure refinement, 20% improvement in average hardness and up to 37% reduction of average surface roughness. To capitalise the promising findings from the EPSRC Adventurous Manufacturing grant (EP/T005254/1), this follow-on project assembles a multidisciplinary team with expertise in flexible sheet forming, material science and plasticity, advanced manufacturing technologies, novel tooling and bespoke machine systems. The aim is to develop an in-depth understanding of the material deformation mechanisms under RV-ISF processing conditions and to use this new knowledge to expand the material types and products that can be successfully manufactured using this innovative process. In working with the project partners, the follow-on project aims to deliver a range of demonstrable products and to engage in dissemination activities for a swift translation of the developed flexible, cost effective and sustainable forming process into UK's medical, automotive, aerospace and nuclear industries.