Residual stresses are considered critical to quality in conventional manufacturing strategies. This is where the DFG’s Priority Programme 2013 comes in, looking instead at the opportunities and possibilities for improving the properties of components by targeted use of residual stresses. In the years 2017 to 2023, research teams from all over Germany were able to prove the stability, controllability and usefulness of residual stresses in flat and solid forming manufacturing processes of metallic components. In addition, the cross-project working groups achieved many insights into the fundamental understanding, simulation and, in particular, industry-oriented measurement of residual stresses. The extensive results of these six years of research activities are presented in this final report.