Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Scan Pattern in Three-Dimensional Laser Forming Process

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kar Higher Education Institute, Qazvin, Iran

Abstract

One of the common methods in metal forming is the laser forming process. In this process, a laser beam heats the surface of the sheet, inducing thermal stresses that lead to plastic deformation of the material. Three-dimensional laser forming is a flexible manufacturing process capable of producing complex geometries without mechanical contact. In this study, the combined effects of laser scanning pattern and auxiliary hydraulic loading on the deformation behavior of circular AA1050 aluminum sheets were experimentally investigated. Four different scan patterns together with two auxiliary-loading conditions were evaluated using a full factorial design of experiments. The influences of scan pattern, beam diameter, and auxiliary hydraulic loading on bending height and edge asymmetry were statistically analyzed. A hydraulic loading system was employed to apply auxiliary loading simultaneously with laser irradiation in order to assist the forming process. The results indicate that the application of auxiliary hydraulic loading generally increased the bending deformation; however, its influence on asymmetry was less pronounced than that of the scan pattern and beam diameter. The maximum bending height of approximately 0.85 mm was achieved using the converging radial scan pattern with a beam diameter of 1.5 mm under auxiliary hydraulic loading. The minimum edge asymmetry of 0.02 mm was obtained using the circular scan pattern with 90° phase-shifted starting points, a beam diameter of 2 mm, and auxiliary hydraulic loading.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Materials Forming
Volume 13, Issue 4
October 2026
Pages 48-59

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