Laser forming thin aluminum sheets
(State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding Production Technology,
Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 15001, China)
Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 15001, China)
Abstract: Laser forming is a flexible forming process that forms sheet metal by means of laser-induced stresses instead of by means of external force. With the rapid development of laser technologies, it is expected that laser forming can be used to bend aluminum sheets. The bending characteristics of pure aluminum sheets were investigated by a Nd:YAG laser. The influence of energy factors, physical dimensions, number of irradiation and the change of mechanical properties on bending angle were presented.
Key words: laser forming; pure aluminum; bending characteristics