A review of the development of creep age forming: Experimentation, modelling and applications

About twenty years ago, the process of Creep Age Forming (CAF) was invented, and since then has been developed for the manufacture of heat treatable aluminium alloy panel components particularly, it has been successfully used for aircraft wing panels. Significant research work has been carried out in recent years and process applications have been expanded. This paper contains a review of recent research and development of this novel forming process. It covers process applications in the aircraft industry and scientific research, including the development of forming tools, experimental studies, materials and process modelling and springback prediction. Some potential future applications and challenges for deeper understanding of this novel process are also discussed.