The 76th Annual Meeting and International Conference of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) was held in Singapore from July 16 to 21, 2023, with 781 delegates from 50 countries around the world. From Academician Wang Guoqing of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Researcher Yang Yuting, Vice Chairman of Welding Branch, Professor Li Xiaoyan, Vice Chairman Professor Xiong Huaping, and Vice Chairman Professor Li Zhuguo, as well as Harbin Welding Research Institute Co., Ltd., Harbin Institute of Technology, China Aviation Development Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tianjin University, Shandong University, Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Technology, Northwestern University of Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Zhengzhou Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd., China Institute of Aviation Manufacturing Technology, Chongqing University, Southwest Jiaotong University, South China University of Technology, Nanjing University of Technology, Shandong University of Technology, Aviation 161 experts and scholars from industrial manufacturing institutes and other units attended the meeting.

On the morning of the 16th, the IIW Member States Congress was held. Vice Chairman Yang Yuting, Vice Chairman Li Xiaoyan, and Vice Chairman Li Zhuguo attended the meeting as representatives of the Chinese Welding Society. The meeting heard and deliberated the work report of IIW Secretariat from 2022 to 2023. The report described the main challenges faced by IIW from 2023 to 2028 in terms of welding professionals, new technology research, sustainable development awareness and regulatory barriers, and put forward a common vision to lead the collaborative development of global welding industry, university and research, and enhance the awareness of sustainable development, expand industrial influence, enhance the value of IIW services, improve the welding education and training system, optimize the organization and management of five aspects of development goals. At the meeting, a new IIW chairman and IIW Executive Committee (BoD) were elected. Deputy Chairman Li Xiaoyan was re-elected as a member of the Executive Committee. At the same time, he was successfully elected as the chairman of the IIW Technical Committee (TMB) after multiple rounds of voting (term 2023-2028). This is also the first time that non-European and American personnel have served as the chairman of the Technical Committee.

Group photo of representatives of the China Welding Society of the IIW Member States Assembly

On the afternoon of 16th, the 76th annual meeting of IIW opened. The opening ceremony held 10 awards of FELLOW, PATON, ARTHUR SMITH, THOMAS and so on in the IIW2023 year. A total of 17 experts, scholars and engineers from China, the United States, Germany, Japan, Austria, Finland and other countries won the awards. Wu Dongsheng, Fu Banglong, Jiao Wenhua and other three Chinese scholars won the HENRY GRANJON awards, shi Haichuan won the "Welding in the World" Best Paper Award, Professor Zou Guisheng from Tsinghua University (Chairman of IIW Micro-nano Connection Committee) won the Outstanding Committee Chairman Award, and Professor Wu Chuansong from Shandong University won the IIW Ten-Year Contribution Award.

Academician Wang Guoqing, leaders of welding branch and award-winning Chinese scholars

The 18 professional committees of IIW-affiliated academic institutions conducted academic exchange activities during the conference. In addition to the academic activities independently carried out by each committee, Committee Ⅰ (additive manufacturing, thermal cutting and thermal spraying), Committee Ⅳ (high energy beam welding) and Committee Ⅱ( arc welding process and production system), Committee Ⅱ (arc welding and welding materials) and Committee Ⅷ (welding health, safety and environment), Committee Ⅶ (micro-nano connection) and Committee XVII (brazing and diffusion welding), committee X (Welded Joint Performance and Fracture Prevention), Committee X III (Welded Components and Structural Fatigue) and Committee X V (Welded Structure Design, Analysis and Manufacturing) respectively carried out academic exchange activities in the form of joint conferences. The week-long IIW annual meeting exchanged nearly 500 papers, and Chinese scholars exchanged 67 reports, covering more than 20 professional directions such as brazing and diffusion welding, micro-nano connection, pressure vessels, boilers and pipelines. Xiong Huaping, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials of China Aviation Development, presided over the meetings of the Committee as the chairman of the Committee, Professor Zou Guisheng of Tsinghua University as the chairman of the Committee, and Professor Wu Sujun of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics as the chairman of the Committee. At the international conference held at the same time as the IIW annual meeting, Professor Chen Shanben of Shanghai Jiaotong University and Professor Zhang Yuming of the University of Kentucky organized a seminar on welding intelligent manufacturing, which achieved good results. At the same time, a total of 22 meetings were held, including welding education, training and certification, welding standardization, regional working meetings, Welding in the World editorial board meetings, IIW annual meeting organizers meetings, and IIW management working meetings, which fully demonstrated IIW's elegant demeanour in global welding academic leadership and advanced management.

During the meeting, China, Japan, South Korea welding society held a symposium, initially reached a consensus on regular exchanges between industry organizations and co host international conferences. In terms of social activities, during the delegation meeting of the China Welding Society, we had extensive exchanges with Mr. Sorin, Executive Chairman of IIW, Mr. Stephan Egerland, IIW-TMB Chairman who is about to end his term of office, Mr. Luca Costa, CEO of IIW, Ms. Elisabetta, Secretary of IIW, and well-known welding experts from various countries. In addition to the welcome banquet, Singapore Night and Gala banquet held by the conference organizers, the Welding Branch organized an exclusive activity of Chinese experts and scholars, "China Night", in which domestic experts and scholars and overseas Chinese participated.

China-Japan-Korea Welding Society Exchange

Group photo of the delegation of China Welding Society at the 76th IIW Annual Meeting and International Conference

Reviser: Song Liqun

Editor: Yang Shiyao