Forming accuracy analysis of plate in multi-scanning laser bending process

Laser bending is realized by local plastic deformation based on non-uniform thermal stress resulting from laser beam radiation. The aim of laser bending is to achieve bending deformation of a plate; however, the bending angle varies along the scanning line greatly affecting assembly accuracy in real industry applications. To control the forming accuracy in multi-scanning laser bending, several heating methods are proposed in this article. It is evident that the heating methods have a significant influence on the forming accuracy. The experimental results show that the bending angle variation can be reduced using the proper heating methods.