Influence of tool coating on the process performance of AISI 304 Incremental Sheet Forming

Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) is a process in which a tool, following an imposed CNC trajectory, progressively deforms a clamped sheet avoiding the use of dedicated tools. Up to now, although many works were carried out on this process, some aspects are not well assessed and further investigations are required. In particular, the role played by friction is not fully understood and requires more detailed investigations. In this paper the role played by the tool coating is investigated in order to evaluate the friction effect, the tool wear and the process load. In detail, an investigation on the surface quality, the process loads and the economical issue is earned out comparing a set of coated and uncoated tools. © 2011 IBF (RWTH Aachen) & IUL (TU Dortmund).