Bending of sheet metals using plastic tools made with 3D printer

Abstract A plastic punch and die manufactured by a fused deposition modelling process were employed for a V-bending process of sheet metals. For the plastic tools, the production time and cost are low, whereas the yield stress and Young’s modulus are considerably lower than those for steel tools. The dimensional accuracy of the bent sheets by the plastic tools was examined. To improve the dimensional accuracy, a steel punch and plastic die were employed. The plastic tools underwent large elastic deformation during forming, whereas the springback was almost similar to that for the steel tools. It was found that the plastic tools are useful for bending sheet metals.