Slide-bending formation of thin metal sheet by using force control

This paper describes slide-bending formation of thin metal sheet by using an industrial robot. The formation of parts made of very thin sheets has become increasingly important following the miniaturization of industrial products, including electrical and mechanical devices. A new process called a slide-bending formation was proposed. The authors have made an automatic slide-bending formation system which consists of an industrial robot, z-axis stage, a force sensor and a CCD camera. The bending formation of metal sheet made by stainless steel was investigated systematically. From the results of the experiment, it is shown that the trajectory of the z-stage was controlled so that the reactive force is kept constant. The bending angle of the thin metal sheet can be controlled by the applied load.