Abstract: Hot bending forming is a vital plastic-processing technology for high strength metal components, which is widely applied in high-end equipment fields including aerospace, automobile and shipbuilding. According to the heat source application mode, force-field form and time-space controllability of the forming process, hot bending forming technologies are classified into two systems: path-type and field-type. The working principles and research progress of typical processes were systematically summarized, i.e., hot roll bending, hot push bending, hot rotary-draw bending and free hot-bending under the path type system, as well as hot press bending and hot stretch bending under the field type system. The technical advantages, forming defects and application scenarios of the two categories of processes were compared. Finally, the development prospects of the technology were proposed from three perspectives:novel energy-field coupling, multi-procedure integration, and multi-sensor-based online intelligent monitoring. It can provide references for process research and engineering application of high precision hot bending forming for titanium alloys, high-strength steels and other materials.