Product Code: ICAL07_P506

Key Factors Influencing the Bend Per Pass in Laser Forming
Authors:
Stuart Edwardson, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Chris Carey, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Emile Abed, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Ken R. Edwards, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Geoff Dearden, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Ken G. Watkins, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Konrad Bartkowiak, Fraunhofer USA; Plymouth MI USA
Presented at ICALEO 2007

Laser forming offers the industrial promise of controlled shaping of metallic and non-metallic components for prototyping, the correction of design shape or distortion and precision adjustment applications. The potential process advantages include precise incremental adjustment, flexibility of application and no mechanical spring-back effect. To date there has been a considerable amount of work carried out on two-dimensional laser forming, using multi-pass straight line scan strategies to produce a reasonably controlled bend angle in a number of materials, including aerospace alloys. A key area, however, where there is a limited understanding, is the variation in bend angle per pass during multi-pass laser forming along a single irradiation track, in particular the decrease in bend angle per pass after many irradiations for a given set of process parameters. Understanding of this is essential if the process is to be fully controlled for a manufacturing environment. The research presented in this paper through empirical data offers a coherent picture of the key influencing factors and at which point in the bend evolution each is active.