Thermal-Assisted Single Point Incremental Forming of Jute Fabric Reinforced Poly(lactic acid) Biocomposites

This paper developed a thermal-assisted single point incremental forming (SPIF) method for biodegradable composite sheets made from jute woven fabric and polylactic acid (PLA) resin. A forming device equipped with a thermal radiation plate was designed for the SPIF of the composite sheets on a three-axis CNC milling machine. A three-tier-plate method in which the composite sheet was sandwiched between an iron plate and an alumina plate was adopted to clamp the composite sheet. The proposed SPIF method was demonstrated on forming of a truncated pyramid part. The effects of clamping method, toolpath, step size and thickness on the formability of the composite were investigated. It was found that the three-tier-plate fixture method was crucial for the successful implementation of the SPIF of the composite. The toolpath had a significant effect on the forming depth. While the surface quality was mainly determined by the step size. The thickness of the composite sheet had a positive effect on is forming depth.