Sheet metal forming – a major manufacturing process concerned with the production of components for road and rail vehicles, aircraft and many other manufactured assemblies – involves a wide range of disciplines – engineering plasticity, finite element methods, friction, lubrication and the topography of surfaces, speed and temperature effects. The intrinsic properties of sheet metals and the tests imposed upon them to ensure their suitability for the forming processes are equally important.

The IDDRG formerly was structured into three working groups according to the three main areas of interests:

    • Working Group 1 (WG1) dealing with Sheet Metal Forming Processes
    • Working Group 2 (WG2) dealing with both sheet and tool materials
    • Working Group 3 (WG3) dealing with the various testing methods.

Processes covered primarily the sheet metal forming processes, machinery and press-tools, plus studies concerning behaviour at the interface between the tools and the sheet metal – wear, topography, friction, lubrication, temperature. Mathematical simulation and modelling of sheet forming processes is also included in this group.

Materials and the Testing which are imposed on them to study their suitability for press-forming are covered in the other two groups.

Each working group had a Convenor, who led the meetings and proposed and discussed themes for future action. The Working Groups met together in a member country, annually; the meeting was organised by the National Group in the country. Contributions were allocated to one of the three working groups.

Biennially, IDDRG organized a Congress, which was open to all. This was a conventional open meeting with wide publicity – a call for papers, refereeing and selection, poster presentation, technical visits, ladies’ programme. This Congress did not replace the WG meetings, it was in addition to them.

In the recent years, there were several discussions on renewing the organisation and streamlining the activity of IDDRG to meet the requirements of latest developments in sheet metal forming. As a result of these efforts, the Executive Committee of the IDDRG has decided significant changes: the former WG meetings and Congresses are united in a yearly Conference series.

The Conference is organised by one of the member countries of IDDRG. The date and venue is determined two-three years in advance. The main topics of the conferences are defined one year before the forthcoming event by the EC. Following the first Call for Papers usually a one page abstract should be submitted to the host organisers. Abstracts are reviewed by the Program Committee including members of the Executive Committee and certain members of the Local Organising Committee.Authors are notified about the acceptance of their papers and 6-10 pages full papers should be sent for the given deadline to be published in the Conference Proceedings.

This new system was first tested during the Bled Conference in 2003. Since it was a great success, it was confirmed and made as a general rule for the future.