Energy consumption analysis of robot based SPIF

Production processes, as used for discrete part manufacturing, are responsible for a substantial part of the environmental impact of products, but are still poorly documented in terms of environmental impact. A thorough analysis of the causes affecting the environmental impact in metal forming processes is mandatory. The present study presents an energy consumption analysis, including a power study of Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) processes using a 6-axes robot platform. The present paper aims to investigate whether the fixed energy consumption is predominant or negligible in comparison to the actual forming operation. Power studies are performed in order to understand the contribution of each sub-unit towards the total energy demand. The influence of the most relevant process parameters, as well as the material being processed and the sheet positioning, with respect to the power demand are analysed.