In the last few decades, metal-based composites and related manufacturing methods have attained a significant research attention thanks to the possibilities they offer to tailor both the material properties and the part in-service performances. A variety of metal-based composite parts is available for commercial applications since more affordable and robust manufacturing processes and quality control techniques have recently overcome many challenging technological issues.

The paper aims at describing the forming processes applied to metal-based composites, with particular emphasis on the process features, part obtainable characteristics, and modelling issues for a convincing design and optimization of the process itself. The most recent progresses and challenges are illustrated in detail, including innovative materials and processes that are emerging to answer the requirements of advanced engineering applications as well as new modelling techniques and current approaches to face economic and environmental issues.

在过去的几十年里，金属基复合材料和相关的制造方法获得了极大的研究关注，这要归功于它们提供的定制材料特性和部件在役性能的可能性。各种基于金属的复合材料部件可用于商业应用，因为更经济实惠且稳健的制造工艺和质量控制技术最近克服了许多具有挑战性的技术问题。

本文旨在描述应用于金属基复合材料的成型工艺，特别强调工艺特征、零件可获得特性和建模问题，以便对工艺本身进行令人信服的设计和优化。详细说明了最新的进展和挑战，包括为满足高级工程应用的要求而出现的创新材料和工艺，以及新的建模技术和当前应对经济和环境问题的方法。