by | Oct 9, 2025 | Non classé

BSSM

Research & Development: Halcyon and Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF)

 

Our colleague Raphaël Le Franc took part in the 19th International Conference of the British Society for Strain Measurement (BSSM) in London, a major scientific event dedicated to experimental mechanics and materials measurement techniques. This participation illustrates Halcyon’s commitment to advancing innovative processes for the aerospace, automotive, rail, and marine industries.

Incremental forming: a technology of the future

At the heart of our research is Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF), an innovative forming method that involves gradually deforming sheet metal using a digitally controlled tool, without causing the material to break.

Halcyon uses an advanced variant of this process, called Multi-Stage Single Point Incremental Forming (MSPIF), which involves adding intermediate geometries during the forming process. This approach extends the forming limits and achieves a more uniform thinning of the part, thereby improving the quality and precision of the components produced.

Incremental forming offers numerous advantages:

  • Rapid and agile prototyping,

  • Hight flexibility for complex geometries,

  • Reduced development costs and lead times,

  • Direct applications in the aerospace, automotive, rail, and naval sectors, where weight reduction, energy efficiency, and industrial competitiveness are major challenges.

Understanding and optimizing the ISF process

In collaboration with the University of Rennes and ECAM Louis de Broglie, Halcyon is conducting research dedicated to gaining a detailed understanding of the impact of process parameters—particularly the tool trajectory—on the local evolution of deformations in the material.

This research is part of Raphaël Le Franc’s thesis: “Study of the local evolution of three different deformation paths using complete kinematic measurements of the field.” It is based on deformation field measurements using digital image correlation to analyze and model the behavior of the material during forming.

This scientific approach aims to:

  • Optimize material forming

  • Design more complex and functional geometries,

  • Accelerate the production of prototyping and small series

  •  Offer manufacturers a high-performance and competitive alternative to traditional processes.

Below is an overview of the results obtained:

A collaborative approach

These advances are based on cooperation between academic research and industrial expertise. They also benefit from technical support from Correlated Solutions, Inc., with Vic3D software dedicated to optical analysis and deformation measurement.

The work carried out is also part of a scientific publication initiative. Raphaël Le Franc co-authored an article presented at the ESA FORM 2025 conference, as part of his thesis.

 

An innovation serving multiple industries

By continuing its work on incremental shaping (ISF), Halcyon confirms its commitment to providing concrete solutions for the aerospace, automotive, rail, and naval sectors. This technology paves the way for a new generation of complex, lightweight, and competitive metal parts that meet the needs of industries seeking performance and agility. 

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