Review on Methodologies and Techniques Dedicated to Improving the Accuracy of Incremental Sheet Forming

Dimensional errors, uneven sheet thinning, high forming forces, and inadequate surface quality continue to limit the wider industrial use of incremental forming, particularly when geometrically complex parts must be produced reliably. A review of studies on incremental sheet forming shows that fewer than 21% address optimisation of the analysed parameters. These optimisations are spread across different forming strategies, materials, sheet thicknesses, objectives, and part geometries. However, multi-objective optimisation of technological parameters, and the influence of material and thickness, is even scarcer. This paper provides an overview of currently available optimisation approaches, their target applications, and the evaluation of improvements for commonly used incremental forming strategies. Robot-based incremental forming is also considered, as industrial robots offer high tool path flexibility and allow more adaptable process layouts. The multi-objective optimisation of incremental forming, combining part accuracy, thickness distribution, forming force, and surface quality, is therefore identified as a major research need. Several advanced approaches and their practical implementation aspects are presented comparatively. They enable systematic selection of optimisation strategies for research and industrial applications.