Laser origami is the metal forming process in which folding of a metallic sheet is exerted through heat applied using a traveling laser beam. The interactions between thermoelastic and plastic deformations under the heat application create the origami folding deformations. Both sheet folding and cutting are achieved by passing the laser beam respectively over the fold or cut line through multiple cycles. Laser origami has potential benefits within widespread biomedical, microelectronics, aerospace sectors where its flexibility has seen use in the construction of delicate medical stents, as a forming tool in zero-g environments, and for adjusting sealed electric contacts held in place. With the advancement of laser folding understanding, extensive physics-based modeling has led to engineering developments for the repeatable, reliable, and beautiful deployment of origami structures to achieve specialized functions. Empirically fitted equations transitioned into semi-analytical solutions modeling before making its way to finite difference and finite element methods used in simulation software such as Abaqus and COMSOL Multiphysics. These software have been used for the laser folding simulation process. Extensive phenomena of laser folding have been studied including employing time-inhomogeneous laser velocity paths to reduce irregular folding deformations, speeding up processes with coordinated external cooling devices, and answering the question of whether radiation may be negligible for laser origami simulations. Other modeling advances include constructing customized b-spline trajectories for the laser movements, understanding the minimum discretization requirements for accurate solutions, assessing the range of folding angles that can be achieved, the use of neural networks combined with genetic algorithms for synthesis of laser directions, and even remeshing around the laser to speed up simulations. The polyhedra unfolding algorithm is a basis from which nets (planar sheets that can be folded towards a target polyhedral surface) can be generated for highly complex convex shapes. Building on this algorithm, this paper analyzes a variety of engineering parameters of interest in laser origami with the ultimate goal of enhancing the laser origami manufacturing performance. Cardinally, the time taken for the net to fold into the polyhedron is determined, along with the energy needs for doing so. The model is calibrated from experimental data to obtain relations between the number of laser application cycles and the fold angle, among other parameters such as the laser power and delay time between each cycle. The number of passes as a function of folding angle is a discrete number; thus, there exists an error between with approximated fold angle value for the target fold angle which is captured by the model. To reduce the material usage for the laser cutting process before folding, the generated net is continuously rotated to find the configuration that provides the least surface area of the minimum enclosing sheet rectangle. It is found that rotating the target shape made a significant difference in saving material of around 20 percent of excess material saved for future use at a later time. Different plots exploring how shape and volume alter the engineering parameters of time, energy, and sheet area are provided. The model then uses an optimization algorithm to determine what folds and cuts should the laser follow to enhance performance. 


Metal Forming With Laser Origami: Parameter Analysis and Optimization

Division / Sponsors: 
Aerospace, Bioengineering, Applied Mechanics, Design Engineering Division, Advanced Energy Systems, Manufacturing Engineering Division, Noise Control and Acoustics, Nondestructive Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Prognosis (NDPD), Nuclear Engineering Division, Process Industries Division, Fluids Engineering, Heat Transfer, Materials, Microelectromechanical Systems, Safety Engineering and Risk Analysis, Computers & Information in Engineering


Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2020/volume/84478

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