Heat-assisted incremental sheet forming: a state-of-the-art review

Incremental sheet forming is an advanced manufacturing technique where a piece of sheet is shaped into a product by a series of small incremental localized deformations. It has revolutionized sheet shaping for small-batch production since its inception in the 1990s, providing an economical and effective alternative to sheet stamping and pressing, which are cumbersome and expensive. However, the materials with poor overall ductility at room temperatures are difficult to be formed by conventional incremental sheet forming. Therefore, several heat-assisted incremental sheet-forming methods have been developed by researchers trying to improve the formability of such materials and overcome the low geometrical accuracy as well. The aim of this paper is to provide a state-of-the-art review on the development of heat-assisted incremental sheet forming. It is hoped that the knowledge provided in this paper can facilitate readers working in this field to obtain a comprehensive view and take a step forward for future incremental forming of hard-to-deform materials at elevated temperatures.