Abstract

Laser forming offers the industrial promise of controlled shaping of metallic and non-metallic components for prototyping, correction of design shape or distortion and precision adjustment applications. In order to fulfil this promise in a manufacturing environment the process must have a high degree of controllability, which can be achieved through a better understanding of its underlying mechanisms. One area of limited understanding is that of the variation in bend angle per pass observed during multi-pass laser forming along a single irradiation track, notably the decrease in bend angle per pass after many irradiations. Finite element (FE) modelling can be used to ascertain which of the various process parameters (such as graphite burn-off, geometrical effects, variation in absorption, etc.) contribute towards this phenomenon and subsequently the magnitude of their contribution.