Conferences are normally scheduled for May or June in Europe, North America or Asia. However, most conferences are held in Europe because the majority of the current membership resides in Europe. Conferences start with an informal reception on Sunday evening followed by two and a half days of technical sessions. Ample time is allowed for technical discussion, and various social events are scheduled in association with the conference. Typical topics include machinery and press tools, new processes, new materials, experimental methods for evaluating formability and studying press operations, springback, constitutive equations, plasticity criteria, and friction and wear with attention to interface behavior as characterized by topography and surface chemistry, lubrication, speed, and temperature.