Analysis of Printing Parameters for Sheet Metal Bending with FDM Printed Tools

Abstract

The objective of this work is to use PLA plastic matrices printed using the FDM additive manufacturing technique as an alternative to conventional sheet metal bending. In this way, the demand of the industry to obtain highly customized short series bent parts at a reduced price is covered. To demonstrate this hypothesis, first, the maximum compressive strength of FDM printed specimens with different manufacturing parameters was characterized by performing a parametric analysis using a factorial design of experiments (DOE) model and based on the ISO 604 standard. Once the results were analysed, an articulated bending tool was designed and printed with the best configuration obtained previously. Then, 50 S280GD galvanized steel sheets of 1 mm thickness were bent. Finally, the bending angles of the sheets were examined, checking that the bending was performed correctly, obtaining the desired shape in the sheet. As for the analysis of the economic impact, a 97.75% reduction in the manufacturing price of the tooling with respect to conventional tooling was observed, demonstrating the viability of these dies in an industrial environment.