Grinding Conference 2023 in Fellbach
145 Experts from 74 Companies Discuss the Trend Topics in Grinding Technology
For its 20th anniversary, the Grinding Conference attracted the expert community from industry and science to the Schwabenlandhalle in Fellbach on January 25 and 26, 2023. 18 technical presentations and 15 exhibition booths provided info on innovative processes and products that increase efficiency and sustainability in grinding technology. "How can grinding technology remain competitive in times of supply bottlenecks and shortages of skilled workers and contribute to climate protection and resource conservation?" was the guiding question of the Grinding Conference 2023.
"We as grinding technology companies must tackle the challenges to grinding technology together!" was how the members of the advisory board summarized the situation in grinding technology during the panel discussion. For the twentieth time, the Grinding Conference offered the right platform for this necessary technical and personal exchange. After the Grinding Conference 2022 was held in digital format due to corona with 110 participants, there was now again the opportunity for networking and personal exchange with 145 experts from 74 companies on site at the 20th anniversary edition of the Grinding Conference.
Top-class technical presentations and discussions from industry and science
Networking science and industry in the best possible way is one of the core ideas of the Grinding Conference. In the lecture sessions of the Grinding Conference 2023, renowned experts from various areas of the grinding technology sector therefore provided insights into current trends on "Innovative Grinding Tools", "Optimized Cooling Lubricant Supply", "Modern Machine Technology" and "Efficient Process Design".
The poster session was also an integral part of the conference again this year. Scientists from German universities presented current research projects in short talks and were available for discussions during the breaks. The professional exchange ensured that experimental parameters with high relevance for industrial applications were investigated, thus paving the way for a subsequent transfer of knowledge to industry. Practitioners were able to derive optimization approaches for processes in their own companies from the cause-effect relationships explored in discussions with the researchers and to make use of findings from the research at an early stage.
Nikolai Guba from the Leibniz Institute for Material-Oriented Technologies - IWT Bremen reported on the influence of the cooling and lubricating effect of the cooling lubricant on thermal process limits during grinding. Findings on the in-process measurement of cooling lubricant flow during grinding were presented by Lukas Schumski (Leibniz Institute for Materials Oriented Technologies - IWT Bremen). Jan Peters (Institute of Machining Technology (ISF) at TU Dortmund University) presented basic investigations on the application and deformation behavior of diamond-coated foams. The application behavior of metal-bonded diamond grinding wheels with added chromium as a carbide former was the focus of the presentation by Ro-man Lang (IFW Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Machine Tools at Leibniz University Hannover). Marc Bredthauer from the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University provided insights into the wear-related topography change of electroplated CBN grinding wheels and its effect on the thermo-mechanical load in the grinding process.
In a panel discussion with the members of the advisory board around Tobias Engenhart (KNOLL Maschinenbau GmbH), Georg Güntert (Güntert Präzisionstechnik GmbH), Dr. Dirk Hessel (DR. KAISER DIAMANT-WERKZEUGE GmbH & Co. KG), Arne Hoffmann (Blohm Jung GmbH) and Dr. Tobias Röthlingshöfer (EMAG), the information from the technical presentations was placed in the current economic and political situation and recommendations for practical action were derived.
The evening program of the Schleiftagung also focused on sustainability in a very entertaining way. Three researchers competed against each other in a science slam with the presentation topics recycling of vehicle batteries, risk assessment of natural disasters and heat-absorbing material combinations and brought their field of expertise closer to the guests with a lot of humor.
The lecture program of the first day of the event was led by Dr.-Ing. Dirk Friedrich, who has already successfully shaped the content of the conference since 2010 as conference director with profound expertise and a feel for the trend topics of the grinding industry. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the grinding conference, he now took to the stage in Fellbach for the last time as conference director. After 12 years as head of the grinding conference, Dr. Friedrich thanked the audience for the inspiring time and the trust they had placed in him, and received great applause and recognition. On the second day of the event, Jannik Röttger from the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL at RWTH Aachen University took over the management of the grinding conference. Jannik Röttger had already been responsible behind the scenes for the content and organizational planning and implementation of the conference since summer 2021. Together with the proven advisory board and the organization team at the WZL around Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Barth, he will further develop the grinding conference as a knowledge platform and moderate the lively exchange between industry and science in the coming years as conference manager.
Industrial exhibition with 15 well-known industrial companies
Cooling lubricant manufacturers Blaser Swisslube, hebro chemie, MOTOREX - Oil of Switzerland, oelheld GmbH and Quaker Houghton, the latter at a joint stand with the cooling lubricant supply experts at Grindaix GmbH, presented their latest product developments and current services at the Grinding Conference 2023. Furthermore, grinding wheel manufacturer Krebs & Riedel Schleifscheibenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG as well as grinding machine manufacturers EMAG, Röders GmbH and Adelbert Haas GmbH presented their service portfolios. From the measurement technology and automation sectors, the company IFM was represented, and as a manufacturer of balancing technology, the company Hofmann was represented. In addition, the diamond tool and spindle manufacturer DR. KAISER DIAMANTWERKZEUGE GmbH & Co. KG as well as the spindle manufacturers GMN Paul Müller Industrie GmbH & Co. KG and SPL Spindel und Präzisionslager GmbH exhibited at a booth at the grinding conference. Numerous trade visitors took the opportunity to inform themselves about the latest developments in the industry and to exchange ideas at the industrial exhibition of the Schleiftagung 2023.