Energy consumption, carbon emissions, product cost, and process time in incremental sheet forming process: A holistic review from sustainability perspective

Due to continuous worsening of the environment and depletion of natural resources, concept of sustainability in manufacturing sector is gaining an increasing attention. New processes and strategies characterized by efficient use of energy and materials, low processing time and zero or nearly zero green-house emissions are being explored. Incremental sheet forming (ISF) is a comparatively new sheet forming process with high economic payoff for small production runs and customized orders. The current study presents a comprehensive review on the sustainability aspects of the process. The process performance in terms of power demand, energy consumption, cost, CO₂ emissions, processing time, and material wastage/usage is analyzed on the basis of published literature, and important conclusions and recommendations are drawn to utilize the process for cleaner, economical and time efficient production. The review establishes that ISF is more sustainable process than conventional forming methods for small production runs. Further, its sustainability performance can be further enhanced by choosing optimum process conditions especially lower spindle rotation, larger feed rate and step size. Shorter tool paths and advent of energy efficient machines is likely to further elevate the process performance. The review also identifies future work and presents fundamental guidelines and recommendations for establishing the sustainable ISF process.