Experimental and Numerical Study on Incremental Forming of Thin‐Walled Metal Part

This study presents a systematic investigation of single point incremental forming (SPIF) for the prototyping and trial production of a new energy vehicle wiring harness rubber sleeve mounting seat. The maximum forming angle of DC03 steel plate was determined through forming limit angle experiments. Process parameter optimization experiments studied the effects of feed speed, layer feed rate, and tool head diameter on forming quality. Results show that a reasonable parameter combination improves forming accuracy, wall thickness uniformity, and surface quality. Finite element simulation verifies the experimental conclusions, with predicted wall thickness distribution highly consistent with experimental data. Equivalent plastic strain analysis indicates relatively uniform distribution in the main deformation region, but the value at the maximum forming angle exceeds the material's safety critical value, suggesting fracture risk. Actual processing trials confirm the numerical model's accuracy. To mitigate sidewall cracking, a smaller tool head diameter and reduced layer feed were adopted. Surface indentation was significantly reduced by optimizing feed motion. The trajectory with spiral and smooth feed mode proves most effective in suppressing surface defects.