Experimental study on sheet metal bending with medium-power diode laser

Abstract

In an experimental study of laser sheet bending, a 160 W diode laser is used for two-dimensional sheet bending of low-carbon steel. The variables investigated include metal sheet thickness, laser scan speed, laser power, laser beam width, and laser scan pass number. Bend surface appearances are also analysed. The laser sheet bend results demonstrate that a 940 Nm diode laser is an effective tool for laser forming of carbon steel sheets. No additional surface coating was required. The buckling mechanism may be the main source contributing to the large angle of bend found for the laser-beam-width to sheet-thickness aspect ratio close to 4; for a laser-beam-width to sheet-thickness aspect ratio of less than 2, both temperature gradient and buckling mechanisms contributed to the lower bend angles. The laser beam width study showed that, for the given material thickness range and laser beam profile, the maximum bend angle depends mainly on the material thickness, not the power intensity distribution across the bend line. However, a more evenly distributed laser beam gave the same bend angle with less material property and surface appearance changes. For obtaining the same bend angle, less laser line energy was required if a higher laser scan speed was applied, except for the extreme high-line energy level. Also, multi-path bend strategies may be preferred for maximizing the total bend angle as well as reducing bend surface morphology changes.

Analysis of pulsed laser bending of sheet metal using neural networks and neuro-fuzzy system

“…Continuous laser forming had been investigated extensively by several researchers [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] for simple bending and generating different two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shapes for different applications. However, the effects of heating the sheet metal in a discontinuous manner, that is, pulsed laser forming, were studied by a few investigators.…”

Temperature Monitoring during Laser Beam Forming of Steel Sheets

“…It is used in many sheet metal processes such as bending and forming of sheet/plates and alignment of metallic and non-metallic components [2]. Following the first attempt of Namba [3] to use laser beam as a tool for sheet metal forming, led to many researchers investigating into different areas of interest in laser forming such as studies into the process and effects of the operating process parameters [4][5][6], theoretical analysis investigating the mechanism of deformation and estimating the relation between the bending angle and the irradiating conditions of the laser beam using a FEM model [7][8], investigations into different materials such as Steel [4,[9][10][11], Stainless Steel [12][13][14][15] Aluminium and its alloys [16][17][18] and Titanium and its alloys [19][20] experimental investigations [4,[21][22][23][24][25] and numerical analyses [2, 8,14, 26 -27]. A typical schematic of a laser beam forming process is shown in Figure 1.…”

A Finite Element Study of Buckling and Upsetting Mechanisms in Laser Forming of Plates and Tubes

“…Casamichele, Quadrini, and Tagliaferri (2007) investigated laser forming of stainless steel and aluminum alloy sheets using a 1.5kW diode laser. Chen, Jeswiet, Bates, and Zak (2008) used a medium power diode laser to bend thinner metal sheets. Guglielmotti, Quadrini, Santo, and Squeo (2009) performed a mechanical performance test on stainless steel sheets bent by a 1.5kW diode laser.…”