An Improved Multi-Objective Grey Wolf Optimizer for Bi-Objective Parameter Optimization in Single Point Incremental Forming of Al1060 Sheet

To address the issues of excessive sheet metal thinning and geometric deviation in single point incremental forming (SPIF), this paper proposed a bi-objective process parameter optimization framework for Al1060 sheet based on a multilayer perceptron (MLP) surrogate model and an improved multi-objective grey wolf optimization (IMOGWO) algorithm. Finite element simulations based on ABAQUS were conducted to generate a dataset considering variations in tool radius, initial sheet thickness, tool path strategy, step depth and forming angle. The trained MLP was used as the objective function in the optimization process to enable the rapid prediction of forming quality. The IMOGWO algorithm, enhanced by the Spm chaotic mapping initialization, an improved convergence coefficient updating mechanism and associative learning mechanism, was then employed to efficiently search for Pareto optimal solutions. For a truncated conical component case, optimal parameter sets were selected from the Pareto front via the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution. Experimental verification showed close agreement with the simulated results, with relative errors of only 0.58% for the thinning rate and 3.10% for the geometric deviation. This validation demonstrates the feasibility and potential of the proposed method and its practical potential for improving the quality of SPIF forming.