MULTIPLE QUALITY OPTIMIZATION OF DIE-LESS RAPID PROTOTYPING PROCESS USING TAGUCHI-GREY METHOD

摘要

Die-less Rapid Prototyping (DLRP) process is an economical alternative of conventional sheet metal forming process to manufacture parts in small or medium sized quantity and to produce sheet metal prototypes. To manufacture quality products at lower cost, process parameter's optimization is essential. In present work, Taguchi method is used for experimentation design and the grey relation analysis method (GRAM) is utilized for optimization of multiple quality characteristics to make DLRP process suitable for the industrial applications. Furthermore, to determine the percentage contribution of each process parameter, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is applied. In the present investigation, different quality characteristics have different importance. Hence, GRG is calculated with different weighting factors. The input parameters are selected as rotational speed of tool, feed and incremental depth. The quality characteristics considered are forming time and geometrical accuracy measured through CNC simulation software and co-ordinate measuring machine respectively. Parts are produce from 19-gauge AA1200-H14 aluminium sheet. It is observed that the predicted GRG at optimum parameter level are in good agreement with the GRG of confirmation experiments.