Electroplasticity for Sustainable Metal Forming: A Comparative Energy Assessment

Modern manufacturing increasingly demands energy-and resource-efficient solutions. Conventional metal forming often requires high temperatures to reduce flow stress, resulting in high energy consumption, especially for low-formability alloys. Electrically-Assisted Manufacturing (EAM) has emerged as a promising alternative, leveraging the electroplastic effect, i.e. electricity’s direct influence on plastic deformation. Documented benefits include reduced forming forces, improved ductility, and altered fracture modes. Indeed, integrating electroplasticity into manufacturing aligns with Industry 4.0 and decarbonization goals, enabling lower energy consumption, extended tool life, and greater compatibility with renewable energy sources. This study compares conventional tensile testing and electro-assisted tensile testing (EAM) of Ti6Al4V, evaluating both mechanical results and the energy consumption of the testing machine under different conditions. The comparison results highlight the potential of pulsed current to improve material formability while reducing energy consumption, offering a more sustainable approach to manufacturing.