On the effectiveness of spif process to re-form end-of-life components as compared to conventional forming approach

Manufacturing processes have a significant impact on global energy consumptions. The recovery of materials and functions for the implementation of the Circular Economy principle needs to be focused on either, by utilizing new techniques or the rethinking of old processes to rework End-of-Life (EoL) components. Previous researches have shown Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) process as a good alternative for sheet metal EoL components reuse by their reshaping. In this article, the authors aim to study the effectiveness of the SPIF processes by comparing its reshaping performance with other, more conventional forming processes. An initial Deep Drawing (DD) process was performed to imitate an aluminum sheet metal EoL component, subsequently, different stretching-based reshaping approaches have been tested. Results revealed that SPIF outperformed conventional forming processes, proving to be the only approach leading to new/reshaped component. © 2021 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland.