Mechanic of Advanced and Smart Materials
Quarterly

Modeling and Optimization of Hole Ovalization in Laser Bending of Perforated Metal Sheets

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohsen Rezaei 1
Davood Akbari 2

1 Arak University of Technology

2 Department Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran

10.66224/masm.5.3.366.
Abstract
Laser bending of metal sheets is one of the most common forming processes and is widely used across various industries. Perforated sheets, due to their geometric discontinuities, encounter serious challenges during mechanical bending operations, which lead to ovalization of the holes and reduced dimensional accuracy. In this study, laser bending of 2-mm-thick perforated 304 stainless steel sheets is performed using a CO₂ laser, based on an experimental design developed through the response surface methodology and the Box–Behnken algorithm. For this purpose, the effects of process parameters—including laser power, scan speed, and laser beam diameter—on the percentage of hole ovalization are investigated. The results show that increasing the laser power and beam diameter increases ovalization, while increasing the scan speed reduces it. Analysis of variance of the statistical model indicates the significance of the main effects, interactions, and second-order terms of the parameters. Parameter optimization reveals that, in order to achieve minimum ovalization (0.22%), the laser power, scan speed, and beam diameter should be set to 87 W, 75 mm/min, and 2 mm, respectively.

Keywords

Laser bending
Perforated sheet
Ovality
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Mechanic of Advanced and Smart Materials
Volume 5, Issue 3
Autumn 2025
Pages 366-382

  • Receive Date 09 July 2025
  • Revise Date 11 August 2025
  • Accept Date 10 September 2025

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