ABSTRACT
Forming of metallic materials is the process of choice when complex net shapes with high levels of productivity are desired. This chapter considers the problem of controlling such processes from both the viewpoint of controlling the forming equipment and the deformation process itself. The objective of all sheet-forming processes is to alter the curvature of the material to achieve a target shape. The most common variations in sheet material are the thickness, yield stress, and plastic flow properties. In addition to controlling a process to achieve repeatable shape fidelity, it is also important that forming process control avoids situations where the workpiece will fail. In practice, the most common type of control used with forming processes is simple feedback of the machine outputs. Machine variations in forming are typical of most machine tools except that the loads and corresponding structural distortions are greater than most other processes.
