Toshihiko Nakamura, Shotaro Ishihara, Hideki Aoyama, Naohisa Matsushita, and Akihiko Ushimaru

Abstract:
Dies and molds are generally used for press forming and injection molding. However, they are expensive and their production is time consuming, so they are not suitable for prototyping or low-volume production. Laser forming is an effective tool for prototyping and low-volume production because it enables one to form sheet material without dies or molds. Laser forming is the deformation process caused by the thermal stress generated in the sheet by laser irradiation. In this paper, a Laser Forming System is proposed for determining laser irradiation conditions for forming a required shape.

Keywords: laser forming, CAD, laser, die, mold