The book gives a systematic and detailed description of a new integrated product and process development approach for sheet metal manufacturing. Special attention is given to manufacturing that unites multidisciplinary competences of product design, material science, and production engineering, as well as mathematical optimization and computer based information technology. The case study of integral sheet metal structures is used by the authors to introduce the results related to the recent manufacturing technologies of linear flow splitting, bend splitting, and corresponding integrated process chains for sheet metal structures. 

Professor Groche is currently the Director of Institute for Production Engineering and Forming Machine (PtU) at Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany. He is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Hessian Cooperation reward. He has supervised over 200 Masters Theses and more than 35 Doctoral Theses. He has served as the conference chairman for numerous conferences, including the 6th International Conference on Tribology in Manufacturing Processes& Joining by Plastic Deformation, and is a member of various scientific societies, including the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP).
Dr. Bruder is a Postdoctroal Research Associate at the Materials Science Department, Physical Metallurgy Division, Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany. He has served as a Visiting Lecturer at Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, Germany, and a Visiting Scientist at the Centre for Advanced Hybrid Materials, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Gramlich is a Postoctoral research associate at the Institute for Product Development and Machine Elements, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany.

Introduction: Production Technologies and Product Development.- The CRC666 Approach: Realizing Optimized Solutions Based on Production Technological Innovation.- New Technologies: From Basic Ideas to Mature Technologies.- Manufacturing-induced Properties: Determination, Understanding and Beneficial Use.- Finding the Best: Mathematical Optimization Based on Product and Process Requirements.- Computer Integrated Engineering and Design.- New Challenges: Technology Integrated Market-Pull.- Finding New Opportunities: Technology Push Approach.- The Result: A New Design Paradigm.