Shape conformance via spring-back control during thermo-forming of veneer plywood into a channel section.

The present work focuses on creating a better understanding of the possibility of forming specific geometric structures from plywood and subsequently develops an improved equation for representing the spring-back phenomenon during the thermoforming process of veneer plywood. Primarily, the formation of multiple bends and their interactions, have been studied with a four-point bending rig. Real-time strains were measured using strain gauges and a kinematic analysis of the macroscopic deformation was carried out through grid strain analysis. It was followed by a geometric conformance study, results of which showed 0.45% deviation from the desired profile angle. Subsequently, a new empirical equation was formulated based on the experimental results using an open-source software, named Eureqa®, to find the change in sector angle after spring-back. The equation was validated by conducting experiments under different conditions and was found to perform well in the forming temperature range of 150–200°C and the pre-forming moisture content range of 20–27.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]