An inline point-tracking approach for the real-time monitoring of the free-form bending process

In order to make free-form bending a process of choice for the manufacturing of structural components, a robust strategy for process monitoring is required. Although the technology is particularly suitable for the production of bending components with variable and complex geometry, fluctuations in the process conditions, as well as in the quality of the semi-finished products can results in geometrical deviations from the target geometry. Currently, the quality assessment of the bent components can be done only offline by random sampling, with a considerable time and cost effort. In this contribution, a real-time process monitoring is realised and applied to free-form bending for the first time. First of all, an inline strategy based on single-point tracking for the assessment of the geometry is investigated through an extensive numerical sensitivity analysis. Successively, the method is implemented experimentally and validated with real tests. Finally, a small-batch series of deviating components is produced, and the developed strategy is adopted to perform a real-time process monitoring. The study highlights the potential of an inline measurement strategy for the process monitoring in free-form bending, and its advantages compared to the current offline methods. • Inline measurement system based on the tracking of a point on semi-finished part. • Inline and real-time geometry identification in free-form bending for the first time. • Single-point tracking as process monitoring tool, detecting deviations in real-time. • Suitability of the strategy for scaling in industrial context of series-production.