Abstract

In order for the laser thermal forming process to be industrially applicable the outcome must be predictable. This predictability can be achieved through finite element simulations. However, at the macro-scale, finite element simulations can be time consuming, especially when a high degree of accuracy is required. The application of special meshing techniques can reduce the computation time significantly. A mesh consisting of a highly meshed block moving synchronously with the laser beam is applied to an otherwise coarsely meshed aluminium 99.5 substrate, allowing multiple irradiations to be computed within computation time limits. In addition to this, the geometric effect of the component deformation and its influence on the irradiation area is considered, resulting in a faster and more detailed simulation.