Multiscale Analysis of Surface Topography from Single Point Incremental Forming using an Acetal Tool

Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is a sheet metal manufacturing process that forms a part by incrementally applying point loads to the material to achieve the desired deformations and final part geometry. This paper investigates the differences in surface topography between a carbide tool and an acetal-tipped tool. Area-scale analysis is performed on the confocal areal surface measurements per ASME B46. The objective of this paper is to determine at which scales surfaces formed by two different tool materials can be differentiated. It is found that the surfaces in contact with the acetal forming tool have greater relative areas at all scales greater than 5 × 10⁴ μm² than the surfaces in contact with the carbide tools. The surfaces not in contact with the tools during forming, also referred to as the free surface, are unaffected by the tool material.