It will be shown how Incremental Forming can be used as a Rapid Proto-typing method with sheet metal. An example is given, in which the rapid proto-typed of a reflective surface for the headlight of a 2004 vehicle is made. This type of reflective surface provides the ultimate challenge to Incremental Forming because it requires the reproduction of surfaces which have complicated 4th order polynomial shapes which must intersect seamlessly without causing any perturbation to the reflection of light in the cavity. The two critical parameters for a reflective surface are penetration, in candelas, and dispersion in percentage. In this case, the incrementally formed aluminium sheet, once aluminized, produces a light penetration that is better than the specification. This paper will describe the results.
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