Double-sided incremental forming (DSIF) is a relatively new dieless forming process which uses two hemispherical ended tools, one on each side of the sheet, moving along a predefined trajectory to locally deform a peripherally clamped sheet of metal. DSIF provides greater process flexibility, higher formability, and eliminates the tooling cost when compared to conventional sheet forming processes. While DSIF provides much improved geometric accuracy compared to other incremental forming processes, current toolpath planning strategies suffer from long forming times. A novel mixed double-sided incremental forming (MDSIF) toolpath strategy is proposed in the present study. It simultaneously reduces the total forming time by half while preserving the best currently achievable geometric accuracy. The effect of the forming parameters, i.e., of the incremental depth and of tool positioning on the geometric accuracy of the parts formed with MDSIF was investigated and compared to those formed by traditional DSIF strategies.

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The success of a toolpath in Double-Sided Incremental Forming (DSIF) is strongly related to the specified tool gap. It is hypothesized in this work that maintained contact between tools and the sheet can improve the distribution of sheet thickness and hence, improve material formability and prevent premature fracture. Simulation and experimental studies reveal that thickness prediction models solely dependent on the local wall angle are inadequate for general part geometries. A 'Shamrock' geometry is proposed leading to the development of a novel improved thickness correction model that incorporates wall angle, in-plane curvature, and tool direction.

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