For several years, the aviation industry has seen dynamic growth in the use of composite materials due to their low weight and high stiffness. Composites are being considered as a means of building lighter, safer, and more fuel-efficient automobiles. Composite materials are the building material of a relatively new kind of unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone. Incremental forming methods allow materials to be quickly formed without the need to manufacture conventional metal dies. Their advantage is the high profitability during the production of prototypes and a small series of products when compared with the conventional methods of plastic forming. This article provides an overview of the incremental forming capabilities of the more commonly produced aluminium- and titanium-based laminates, which are widely used in the aircraft industry. In addition, for composites that are not currently incrementally formed, i.e., aramid-reinforced aluminium laminates, the advantages and potential for incremental forming are presented.

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In recent years, sheet metal forming has gained great importance in the production process. To improve the quality of the manufactured products and reduce the production cost, incremental forming, particularly that adapted to small pieces, can be a good alternative. It is within this scope that the present study was carried out. This research work deals with the finite element simulation of the incremental forming process applied to achieve a trunk cone. It also examines the effects of the geometrical parameters of the tool and of the sheet on the forming force, stress distribution and thinning of the sheet. The obtained results show that the thinning of the sheet is more important in the case of the continuous tool path (about 0.2 mm), compared to that in the discontinuous one.