During the last decade, the combination of increasingly more advanced numerical simulation software with high computational power has resulted in models for friction stir welding (FSW), which have improved the understanding of the determining physical phenomena behind the process substantially. This has made optimisation of certain process parameters possible and has in turn led to better performing friction stir welded products, thus contributing to a general increase in the popularity of the process and its applications. However, most of these optimisation studies do not go well beyond manual iterations or limited automation. The present paper thus attempts to give a brief overview of some of the successful autonomous optimisation applications of FSW in combination with what determines the state of the art in the field. Finally, this is followed by a discussion of some of the trends and future challenges that we foresee in the rapidly expanding area of autonomous optimisation of FSW.
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