Micro-forming of a miniature product with ISF technique using aerospace grade AA 6061 and evaluating energy usage and product quality

Purpose In recent years, rising awareness on global warming effects led to a revived interest in every aspect of clean manufacturing. Among them, some emphasis has been given on reducing energy usage during the production without affecting the part accuracy. The purpose of this study is to address the problem of energy management during micro-incremental sheet forming of high-strength AA6061 and the influence of process parameters on the energy usage and the part accuracy. Design/methodology/approach Energy consumption is determined by multiplying the supplied power by the period of process; consequently, the electrical power consumed was measured for all stated production modes. The overall machine tool power and the power requirement of all essential sub-units were measured for each production mode. Product quality was measured in terms of part accuracy using flatness errors and height errors. One factor at a time approach was used by taking five levels of each parameter. Findings Results indicate that both product quality and energy usage are affected by step size. An increase in step size lowered the total energy usage, while on the other side it degraded the product quality with an increased height error. Practical implications AA6061 is used extensively in biomedical applications, drone production, aerospace sectors and structural construction. Micro-components are essential in the drone manufacturing sector. Compact drones are suitable for the photography industry and military surveillance. Originality/value Deformation energy consumed less than 1% of the total energy consumption in micro-forming of AA6061 using ISF, whereas in the case of macro-forming, deformation energy contributed around 12% of the total energy for high-strength aluminum alloys. In the case of micro-forming, part quality is superior in terms of flatness which falls under 5 µm and is considered minimum, safer to operate and unnoticeable to the human eyes.