Dieless forming

Figure 14.1 General concept of dieless forming. The final shape of the component is generated by passing an initially flat workpiece through a compact, heated, active forming zone, bending the workpiece locally only within the active forming zone. The requirements that must be met if such operations are performed on continouous-fiber composites are listed...

Figure 14.14 Schematic of the continuous dieless forming machine showing the vertically moving crosshead cylinder, the fixed forming roller, and the dead weights used for workpiece back tensioning...

Figure 14.16 (a) Circular Dual-Dee induction coil used in early work on the continuous dieless forming process, (b) Addition of ferrite flux concentrator to Dual-Dee coil, (c) Temperature patterns generated in a Gr/PEEK laminate by the circular Dual-Dee coil with ferrite flux concentrator. The coil end was located at various distances from the laminate edge. No one position produced a uniform temperature profile... 

Figure 14.19 (a) Overall view of the continuous dieless forming machine, (b) Close-up view of the continuous dieless forming machine, from the side opposite to that shown in (a)... 

Figure 14.23 Shape accuracy results for continous dieless forming, variable curvature workpiece at the top, and constant-curvature workpieces under three different forming conditions at the bottom. Shape accuracy to about 0.016-in.) is obtained in the top two results...

Continuous dieless forming was then used to form both uniform-curvature and non-uniform curvature components. Good shape accuracy (i.e., maximum deviation of 0.4 mm or 0.016 in.) was attained. A key ingredient proved to be manipulation of the temperature gradient across the forming roller. 

Akyama S, Amino H, Lu Y, Matsubara S (2000) Apparatus for dieless forming plate materials, Europaisches Patent EP 0970764 Eraser C (2006) Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur inkrementellen Blechumformung [Devices and methods for incremental forming of sheet metal], DE 102006002146A1 19.07.2007, http //www. 

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