Effect of tool path strategy and tooltip profile on geometrical feature and surface quality of Al-6061 alloy during deformation machining in bending mode

Abstract

ABSTRACT Deformation machining (DM), a hybrid manufacturing process, involves subtractive manufacturing and the incremental forming process. This hybridisation of manufacturing technologies produces monolithic components having complex profiles and reduces raw material wastage. In this work, the influence of different toolpath methods, approaches, and design of the tool on the geometrical features and surface quality of the fin formed through the bending mode of the DM process was investigated for aluminium alloy Al-6061 T6. Different combinations of straight and curved fin toolpath techniques with top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top approaches were investigated to bend the machined fin in the desired shape. Thereafter, different tool profiles were explored with the bottom-to-top approach and curved toolpath strategy. The fabricated fin was 3D scanned to evaluate the geometrical features, and the surface roughness was also measured. The better quality of the formed components in terms of geometrical features and surface roughness was identified with the optimal combination of the tool profile and toolpath strategy, i.e. tool profile T3 has a circular sector and nose radius of 0.5 mm, curved toolpath method, and bottom-to-top approach. This optimal combination was further utilised to analyse the forming forces during the bending mode of the DM process.