Incremental forming of polymers: Process parameters selection from the perspective of electric energy consumption and cost

Abstract

In recent years, environmental and sustainability concerns have attracted considerable attention in the field of mechanical engineering. A number of contributions have focused on the environmental footprint or life cycle analyses of typical manufacturing processes. However, for forming processes, this kind of analysis has just begun. To further the work in this area, this study assessed the influence of a number of process parameters on energy consumption in Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF). Consequently, a campaign of experiments for two polymer materials (polycarbonate (PC) and polyvinylchloride (PVC)) was carried out. The results are used to identify the most suitable combination of process parameters in order to minimize energy consumption and costs