Incremental forming of nonuniform sheet metal: Possibility of cold recycling process of sheet metal waste

The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of cold recycling of sheet metal wastes. The authors focused on deformation behavior in incremental forming of nonuniform sheet metals flattened from sheet metal wastes. These flattened sheet metals were shaped into conical shells with various half-apex angles by incremental forming. The forming limit of the flattened sheet metals was compared with that of a sheet metal of uniform thickness. It was found that the forming limit of the flattened sheet metals is similar to that of the sheet metal of uniform thickness. Experimental results showed that strain localization can be approximately inhibited in the flattened sheet metals by incremental forming. These results suggest that the cold recycling of sheet metal wastes can be accomplished by incremental forming.