Laser Forming of Metals
The surrounding structure counteracts the ther-
The process of laser forming has been investigated
widely since 1987, especially regarding its extraordi-
nary potential for rapid prototyping in sheet metal
working. The reason for the increasing interest in laser
forming is a specific advantage of the process, namely
the possibility of producing sheet metal parts with
nearly unlimited geometrical complexity without using
special tools or dies. This advantage of flexible forming
was already known from flame bending, which has
been used for diverse straightening tasks in industrial
applications since the early 1920s. Inspired by the
development of reliable and powerful laser systems for
production engineering tasks, the idea of using lasers
as controllable heat sources for thermal bending
operations arose. Starting from basic investigations
that enabled an overview of the geometrical possi-
bilities and future applications of laser forming,
research soon focused on analyzing the underlying
forming mechanisms. These investigations led to
numerous ideas for applications of laser forming, such
as rapid prototyping, laser straightening, and laser
adjustment.
1. Principle of Laser Forming
A temperature gradient is generated by locally heating
a sheet metal part with a laser. The increased tem-
perature leads to a thermal expansion of the heated
Figure 1
Mechanisms of laser forming.
area.
mal expansion. This obstructed thermal expansion
results in compressive stresses. In addition to the
reduced yield stress owing to increased temperature,
the compressive stresses cause a local compressive
plastic strain. The plastic strain gradient results in the
forming of the part. Depending on the temperature
field compared with the sheet geometry, a separation
into several mechanisms can be made (Fig. 1).
In the temperature gradient mechanism a significant
temperature difference between the upper and the
lower side of a sheet metal part is generated by a
relatively short laser pulse or a fast laser scan along the
bending line. A bending towards the laser with a
typical value in the range 0.001–3m can be manu-
factured with one single laser spot or scanning line.
In the buckling mechanism, as well as in the
upsetting mechanism, a relatively homogeneous tem-
perature field perpendicular to the sheet is generated
by a high thermal conductivity or relatively long laser
pulses as well as a low scanning speed in continuous-
wave (CW) mode. In the buckling mechanism the
buckling stiffness of the sheet is relatively low whereas
the lateral expansion of the temperature field is large.
This causes buckling of the part. The bending angle is
usually in the range 0.1–15m. The direction of the
bending can be towards or away from the laser
depending on the precurvature of the part.
The upsetting mechanism is dominant when, next to
the homogeneous temperature field in the sheet thick-
ness, the lateral expansion of the heated area is smaller
than the sheet thickness. This causes a shortening of
the structure. In aligning processes a shortening in the
region of 10 µm can be processed.
2. Process Parameters
All kinds of industrial lasers can be used for laser
forming. For macroscopic applications CO lasers are
dominant owing to their power. Nd:YAG # and ex-
cimer lasers are suitable for adjustment tasks. For
special applications frequency doubled Nd:YAG
lasers, fiber lasers, and diode lasers become more
dominant. There is no limitation of laser forming by
the sheet thickness. Thin metal foils in the region of
10 µm can be formed with short-pulse lasers. Thicker
sheets of a few millimeters can be formed with
Nd:YAG or diode lasers. For thick sheets of several
centimeters high-power lasers such as CO lasers are
used. #
The main influences on the results can be divided in
three groups: laser parameters, material properties,
and geometrical properties. First, the absorbed energy
has to be higher than the threshold energy. The
threshold energy is the energy where plastic defor-
mation starts, and it is dependent on the material
properties and the stiffness of the geometry. The