Additive Manufacturing of Polymeric Pressure Die For Rotary Draw Bending Process

Additive manufacturing (AM) possess enormous potential to benefit the manufacturing industry. Presently, Rotary Draw Bending (RDB) is one of the most commonly used industrial process for bending metal tubes. RDB processes are carried out by using customized forming tools which are manufactured according to the shape and size of the tube. This research encompasses design and development of a pressure die by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technique. In this research paper, the additively manufactured pressure die is named as ‘AM-pressure die’. The material used to fabricate the AM-pressure die is a thermoplastic polymer (ecoPLA). The mechanical properties of ecoPLA are studied in relation to the process conditions of a RDB process. Feasibility of using AM-pressure die in a RDB process is conducted by stress analysis using Finite Element (FE) simulation in the software ‘Autodesk Inventor’. The design model is imported in tube solver environment of the software ‘PAMSTAMP’ and a complete RDB process is simulated. The AM-pressure die is practically fabricated by FDM 3D printer and experimentally tested on a RDB machine. Practical experiments verify the simulation results. The advantages accrued by using AM-pressure die in a RDB process are discussed. This is an application oriented research intended to widen the avenue of using cost effective and individualized forming tools in RDB processes.