Surface treatment and coating technology is growing in importance as an interdisciplinary field that spans the most diverse imaginable range of industries and value chains. This trend is unequivocally evident at the SurfaceTechnology fair, staged as part of HANNOVER MESSE 2011 (4 to 8 April).
It is not too late to visit! SurfaceTechnology covers surface treatment and coating in all its shapes and forms, from workpiece pretreatment and cleaning, liquid coating and electroplating, to plasma and nano technology. “It features solutions from all areas of surface technology,” explains Olaf Daebler, the HANNOVER MESSE Project Director in charge of SurfaceTechnology. “Energy and resource efficiency will be one of the key themes underlying all of the show’s display categories and special presentations.”
From workpiece cleaning to nano-coating The surface technology industry plays a key part in meeting the growing technical and commercial challenges facing industrial production worldwide. Tried and proven materials are emerging from ever-shorter innovation cycles with added functionality, while new materials with exciting surface characteristics are popping up all the time. All thanks to surface technology. The German Surface Treatment Association (ZVO) have a strong presence at SurfaceTechnology 2011 – at Surface World, a special display that tracks the entire surface treatment process chain. There is an unmistakable trend in surface treatment towards greater use of eco-friendly processes, especially energy recovery and conservation processes. There is also a growing move towards electroplating bath technologies and maintenance systems that ensure consistent coating properties over extended periods and minimize waste – another plus for resource conservation and the environment.
Forum explored latest developments in research and industry The SurfaceTechnolgy Forum spans five days. The first four days featured papers on a range of surface treatment technologies by companies and research institutions. Each day’s papers themed around a different substrate, starting with metals and then progressing to wood, followed by plastics and, finally, glass and ceramics. Day five is dedicated to education and training for young people. The Forum is organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA). Its head of Coating Technology, Dr Martin Metzner, explains the Forum’s focus: “The defining trend in the industry – and in the forum as well – is energy and resource efficiency. We are interested in two main ways of achieving efficiency gains. The first involves process optimization in production. The second relates to the growing number of surface solutions designed specifically with efficiency in mind. Examples of this include low-friction surfaces that save energy in vehicle powertrains.”
Hannover Messe closes tomorrow… it’s the last minute to decide to go.
Cheers py
