Manufacturing of Individualized Cranial Implants Using Two Point Incremental Sheet Metal Forming

A new approach for the production of cranial implants using CNC-controlled two point incremental sheet forming (TPIF) is presented. The use of titanium sheets for implant manufacturing offers the possibility for production of relatively thin parts involving a lower amount of scrap compared to machining. For this purpose a forming process is required which is suitable for economical production of individualized parts with an adequate accuracy. TPIF is a process suitable for prototyping and small batch production due to the minor tooling effort and high flexibility compared to traditional sheet forming processes. Furthermore, incremental sheet forming allows the processing of pure titanium sheets suitable for medical applications.