The HVOF Colloquium in November 2009:
Where the specialists meet

In November this year, the High Velocity Oxy-Fuel Flame Spray Colloquium will be taking place for the 8th time, and so far the response has been tremendous. The first participants have already secured their “seats” and the many enquiries from all over the world testify to the heightened interest in the conference.

The success story of the HVOF Colloquium
The history of the HVOF Colloquia begins on 21 April 1988 when a small group of Jet-Kote users, invited by Peter Heinrich, got together at Linde AG in Höllriegelskreuth near Munich to exchange their experiences. This was, so to speak, the first colloquium on the topic of high velocity oxy-fuel flame spraying, and it soon became clear that there was already a keen interest in and also a big demand for information about this still very young but rapidly developing technology. The following year on 16 November 1989, Linde AG co-hosted the 2nd colloquium with SLV Munich and Prof. Heinrich Kreye from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg – now called Helmut Schmidt University. This time the conference focused extensively on the latest findings and newly developed systems. And so the foundations were laid for a concept still successful today – a mix of scientific fundamentals, application case studies and technology which addresses both the needs of the user and the coater, as well as the designer and the developer of systems and spray materials. But the interest in the 2nd HVOF colloquium exceeded everyone’s expectations and so the original venue, facilities at SLV Munich, had to be abandoned due to lack of space. Larger conference facilities had to be organized at short notice for the 270 registered participants, including an additional bus transfer. The German Federal Armed Forces were quick to help out here and, without hesitation, offered us a spacious conference room in their Munich barracks in Schwere-Reiter-Straße.

2nd HVOF Colloquium, Munich 1989

The 3rd HVOF Colloquium in Ingolstadt in November 1994 with more than 260 participants was equally successful. The presentation sessions in the “Kurfürstliche Reitschule” (riding school) in the heart of the city had to be extended to two days because of the wealth of new developments and findings from research and industry. A new co-organizer also joined the ranks, the relatively young Association of Thermal Sprayers, GTS e.V.

3rd HVOF Colloquium, Ingolstadt, Germany, 1994

In 1997, the HVOF Colloquium finally found a new home in the Stadthalle (Civic Hall) in Erding near Munich, which has been the venue ever since. In view of the growing international interest in this triennial event, the facilities and technical equipment of the Civic Hall ideally met all the requirements, as did Erding with its proximity to Munich and to the airport. So during the 4th colloquium in November 1997, a complementary exhibition took place for the first time. The two-day presentation sessions were all simultaneously translated into German and English and the conference proceedings were also printed in two languages. It is therefore hardly surprising that these enhancements accorded the 4th colloquium a record attendance of 300 participants.

The idea of successfully combining the spatial proximity of the presentation sessions, the exhibition and the business input with the many opportunities to discuss, exchange views and make new contacts also proved to be invaluable during the following colloquia in 2000, 2003 and 2006, the latter witnessing a turnout of more than 420 participants from 23 countries.

7th HVOF Colloquium, Erding, Germany, 2006

It’s the mix that does it!
The next colloquium in November 2009 will again pick up the successful concepts of previous events and further explore HVOF technology in an interesting mix from the researcher’s, the manufacturer’s and the user’s point of view. Participants can expect an informative series of presentations on the topics “HVOF and cold spraying”, “alternative processes, “process control and spray materials”, “new systems and components”, “quality assurance and certification”, and of course numerous “reports from our industry practitioners”. The main focus will be on cold spraying which is constantly opening up new areas of application with its latest high-performance systems and portable units for mobile operations.

As a special evening highlight on 5th November, Peter Heinrich, organizer and conference chairman, was able to win over Prof. F. J. Radermacher (see box), whom many GTS members already got to know as a fascinating and riveting guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting in Lenggries in 1999.

The information box at the bottom of this page gives you an overview of the current status of the program. You can also visit the homepage of the 8th HVOF Colloquium (hvof.gts-ev.de) for the latest program and exhibition details.

Prof. Dr. Dr. F. J. Radermacher is the director of the institute FAW and professor for “data bases and artificial intelligence” at the University of Ulm. Prof. Radermacher is the author of more than 300 scientific papers in the field of applied mathematics, operations research, applied information technology, systems theory and related questions concerning research into technological impacts, ethics/philosophy, the latter also with reference to global issues. His socio-political interest focuses on the transition to an information-based society, learning organizations, handling risks, the responsibility of persons and systems, environmentally compatible mobility, sustainable development and overpopulation. Source: Forschungsinstitut für anwendungsorientierte Wissensverarbeitung/n (FAW/n), www.faw-neu-ulm.de