Bending is the processing of a material (metal, wood, plastic) intended to permanently change the curvature of the material without altering its transverse dimensions.
Wood bending is preceded by hydrothermal treatment (woodworking), which softens the wood and increases its susceptibility to deformation (which is fixed by drying).
Metal bending is performed cold or after heating. Metal bending is divided into two types: forging (manual or machine, free-form or in cuts) and pressing (e.g., bending, folding, coiling, profiling).