The objective of this Material Forming Issue in two parts from the 5^th

Esaform conference on Material Forming held at the University of

Krakow in 2002, is bringing together scientists working on all material

forming processes (rolling, extrusion, drawing, casting, stamping, forging,

injection moulding, sheet forming etc.) with all types of materials (metal,

polymer, glass, ceramic, composite, wood).

The topics of the papers are closely related to the current scientific

research on material forming. This include innovations in forming processes

as well as either standard or new methods used for theoretical analyses,

simulations and optimisation. Material forming remains a crucial element

in the manufacture of a large range of products. Physical and numerical

simulations are the dominant tools for investigation and optimisation of

processes and for design of new technologies, which allow to achieve new

properties of products, decrease energy consumption and which are

environmentally protective. All these aspects of material forming are

addressed by extended versions of selected papers collected in the two issues

of Material Forming. The first volume is about bulk, sheet, composite

forming and cutting, and the second one about modeling, simulation,

optimization and material testing.