Polymer additive manufacturing tools for sheet metal forming: a combined simulation and experimental study

Additive manufacturing (AM) is increasingly transforming conventional engineering practices by offering rapid, economical, and flexible alternatives to traditional manufacturing. This study investigates the potential of polymer-based AM tools in two key sheet metal forming operations—cup drawing and V-bending—using SS304 and AA6061 sheets. Punch–die sets were fabricated via fused deposition modeling (FDM) with PLA Pro and ABS materials and tested on 1 mm thick metallic sheets. In cup drawing, a maximum drawing ratio (DR) of 1.56 was achieved while maintaining tool integrity and geometric conformity. In V-bending trials conducted at 30°, 45°, and 60°, finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to evaluate stress distribution and geometric accuracy, with experimental results from 60 samples confirming strong simulation agreement. The findings demonstrate that polymer AM tools can provide sufficient durability and precision for prototype and small-batch manufacturing, significantly reducing cost and lead time compared to conventional tooling. This early-stage research underscores the broader potential of AM to support industrial applications across multiple engineering disciplines by enabling sustainable, adaptable, and resource-efficient manufacturing solutions.