On the feasibility of an integrated English wheel system

The English wheel is a highly flexible traditional metalworking tool that allows skilled craftsmen to form compound curves on sheet metal panels. Historically, geometric accuracy and repeatability of formed panels using the English wheel have been tied to the operator leading to limited industrial adoption. This paper presents a novel framework for an integrated English wheeling system that leverages robot forming with a newly developed adaptable gripper/end-effector, metrology for deformed geometry tracking and tolerance measurements, integrated sensors for real-time forming force measurements and control, computational modeling for tracking pattern/toolpath generation, and virtual reality (VR) for seamless integration. Sample panels are formed using the integrated system revealing new insights on the forming forces during the process – highlighting why an integrated system is desirable. Concepts from the proposed framework can be applied to other robotic forming processes and its merit is discussed under current digital manufacturing and industry 4.0 literature.