Processing strategies for single point incremental forming—a CAM approach

Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is a promising manufacturing process, but its industrial implementation is hindered by the lack of computer-assisted tools. CAD/CAM solutions which can be directly applied for other machining processes (milling) can hardly be used for SPIF. This paper emphasizes some particularities of using CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) tools for SPIF and analyze six CAM-based processing strategies, based upon different toolpaths. The proposed strategies are compared with regard to formability and accuracy of the machined parts, processing time, surface quality, and ease of toolpath generation. Finally, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique, based upon the experimental results, is used for selecting the best processing strategy. The results of the AHP have indicated as the best choice a two-stage processing strategy, involving a roughing stage and a two-pass finishing stage.