A Continuous Folding Process for Sheet Materials

In this paper, we present a new and innovative sheet material folding technology and the associated advances in folding different patterns using continuous manufacturing techniques. A novel approach is developed for the continuous folding process where sheet material is progressively folded in two dimensions, through a set of rollers, followed by a configured roller for the final folding in the third dimension. The final roller can be designed for longitudinal folding, cross-folding and angular folding to produce the desired folded pattern. This process is more economical than traditional forming processes. An application of this process to the production of impact energy absorption structure is presented.