they have largely not had industrial application, so it would be valuable if intelligent means to design new processes existed.This has not previously been attempted,although there has been work to classify both products and processes and to define optimal forming processes.A body of work in garment production examines the optimal flattening of garments, starting from their final form on a human body, to deduce the best cutting pattern from flat fabric. This paper develops a related approach for the first time,“un-forming” sheet metal from its finished geometry to a flat blank without prior specification of a process.