Single point incremental forming of polymers

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the possibility of producing low-cost, small-batch, polymer sheet components by means of single point incremental forming (SPIF) at room temperature. During the research work, five different thermoplastic materials were incrementally formed into cones with an increasing wall angle on a conventional CNC milling machine. In designed experiments, significant process parameters were found, and influential material properties were identified. The experimental results confirm that SPIF of commercial polymer sheets at room temperature has potential for the manufacture of complex parts with very high depths.