Investigating the deep drawing process as one of the shaping methods has received wide attention from researchers. According to the studied sources, the optimization of the initial blank in the deep drawing process, especially for rectangular parts, is important and necessary, which reduces scrap and increases efficiency and economic efficiency. This study aims to optimize the initial blank shape in the deep drawing process of rectangular parts by integrating experimental results with numerical simulations in Abaqus software. In this research, the method of sensitivity analysis based on finite element analysis has been used to optimize the initial blank. For this purpose, the blank is first numerically optimized with a maximum error value of 1%. In the following, the results of the prepared program are compared with the blanks obtained from the one-step method by commercial software. Then, using the obtained blank, experimental tests are performed. Although a reduction in roundness was observed, the analyses and experiments were refined by incorporating the anisotropic properties of the sheet, which reduced the contour error from 6.3 mm to 5.6 mm, achieving a total error below 4%. Finally, the effects of employing the optimal blank on the forming process were examined.
