Contribution to a biomedical component production using incremental sheet forming

Abstract

Incremental sheet forming (ISF) is a relatively recent technology that allows producing highly custom-made components at a reasonable manufacturing cost. Single-point incremental sheet forming (SPIF) is one of the easiest ISF processes. In this sense, recent published results have revealed an increasing interest in shaping components for biomedical uses. This paper focuses on the establishment of a platform dedicated to produce biomedical complex geometry component. The main issue to be carried out is to improve the quality and the precision of manufactured products. The study shows the feasibility of socket fittings, applied to the femoral amputees, aimed at slowing wear between friction surfaces. The thinning has been analyzed as a formability indicator; also, the surface roughness has been addressed. The experimental results show a significant effect of the spindle speed in the ISF process of the increment on the surface roughness swept by the tool/sheet contact and the forming force. The analysis carried out on the deformed sheet shows a slight offset between the programmed surface, representing the real model, and the deformed surface obtained at the end of the process.