Varying velocity scan in laser forming of plates

Laser forming of metal plates offers the advantages of requiring no external forces, cost reduction and increasing flexibility. It also enables forming of some materials and shapes that are impossible by using the traditional methods. This paper presents a three-dimensional non-linear, indirectly coupled thermal structural model to simulate the process of laser forming of plates. The model is used to investigate the edge effects of the laser bending. To verify the model, bending angles along the scan path simulated are compared with those measured experimentally. The results show that the numerical results are consistent with the experimental observations. The present numerical study shows that if the scan speed varies properly, the edge effect can be reduced significantly.