In 1948, the Department of Metal Forming was established at the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute (BPI), marked by an order from the Deputy Minister of Higher Education of the USSR appointing Professor S.I. Gubkin, a distinguished member of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences, to head the department. This marked a pivotal moment for advancing research and education in metal forming technology.
May 1949, the department saw its first cohort of Mechanical Engineering graduates specializing in metal forming (5 individuals), followed by a second group of 17 engineers in December of the same year.
From 1948 to 1955, the department was led by Academician S.I. Gubkin, who concurrently directed the Physical-Technical Institute of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences and supervised the Metal Forming Department at BPI. His tenure fostered extensive research into the deformability of metals and alloys, laying the groundwork for a renowned Belarusian school of metal forming engineers.
During this period, under Gubkin's guidance, 20 candidates defended their scientific dissertations, several of whom—like Professors M.A. Baranovskiy, V.I. Kazachenok, and E.I. Belskiy—went on to lead research teams and teach at various institutions across the former USSR.
From 1957 to 1970, the department was renamed the "Machines and Technology of Metal Forming" (MiTOMD) and was led by Academician V.P. Severdenko, who also served as head of the Physical-Technical Institute of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences. This period saw a significant increase in the number of specialist graduates entering the workforce, contributing to industries throughout the country.
In 1961, S.I. Gubkin's seminal work "Plastic Deformation of Metals" was published posthumously, representing years of meticulous research by his proteges and colleagues. Concurrently, Professor V.P. Severdenko authored the textbook "Theory of Metal Forming," further solidifying the department's academic contributions.
Under Professor A.V. Stepanenko's leadership from 1975 to 1990, the MiTOMD department flourished, with Stepanenko later becoming an Academician of the National Academy of Sciences and a distinguished figure in Belarusian science and technology.
In December 2019, a branch of the MiTOMD department was established at the State Scientific Institution "Physical-Technical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus," in collaboration with the Belarusian National Technical University (BNTU). This initiative aimed to enhance the educational experience by integrating modern technical resources and expert knowledge, furthering the development of future specialists in metal forming technology.
