From October 11 to 13, Beijing University of Technology (BJUT) hosted the Fifth International Forum of Postgraduate Students on Intelligent Welding and Additive Manufacturing (IFPS-IWAM2024). The event welcomed over 140 experts and graduate student representatives from nearly 30 universities and research institutes, including the Colorado School of Mines (USA), Osaka University (Japan), Tsinghua University, Beihang University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, BJUT, and the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. BJUT Vice President and Forum Chair Chen Shujun, along with Vice Chairman of the Welding Institution of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society Xiong Huaping, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

The forum, themed “Empowering the Future with Smart Manufacturing and Welding,” featured keynote presentations by Prof. Stephen Liu from the Colorado School of Mines and Dr. Wu Dongsheng from Osaka University. In addition the following invited speakers; Prof. Wang Wenxian from Taiyuan University of Technology, Dr. Liu Jingbo from BJUT, Editor Zhang Qiong from MDPI (Wuhan) Technology Services Co., Ltd., and Chief Editor Zhang Weiguan from the China Machinery Industry Information Institute, gave talks covering topics on additive technology innovation, AI-driven empowerment, and academic paper publishing.

In addition to the main forum, three sub-forums centered on innovations in materials and metallurgy, equipment and control, and process and simulation. In these, over 70 experts and scholars shared their latest research and insights.