Stuttgart Surface Technology Prize 2024
This year, the Fraunhofer IPA is once again awarding the Stuttgart Surface Technology Prize "The Surface". The award recognizes innovative applications and technologies within all disciplines of surface technology. The application phase begins on January 19, 2024, and the award ceremony will take place on June 4 at the Surface Technology Germany trade fair.
From January 19 up to and including April 8, 2024, it will once again be possible to apply for the Stuttgart Surface Technology Award "The Surface". Both individuals and organizations that have played an innovative role in shaping the surface technology sector are invited to take part in the competition, regardless of whether in electroplating, painting technology, thermal spraying or other industrial areas related to surface technology. In addition to sustainability, the three-member jury also assesses the degree of innovation, the characteristics of the technology or application as an enabling technology and its industrial feasibility. "Every component inevitably interacts with its surface. This is why surface technology plays a key role in the degree of innovation and progress in numerous industries. We want to promote and recognize this," says jury member Martin Metzner, Head of the Electroplating Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA.
First place in the "The Surface" 2022 surface technology award went to Dürr Systems AG. The paint system manufacturer from Bietigheim-Bissingen had developed a completely overspray-free wet painting process together with partners from the paint and automotive industries. In addition to Metzner, the interdisciplinary and independent expert jury also includes Martin Riester (VDMA Surface Technology) and Michael Hilt (Forschungsgesellschaft für Pigmente und Lacke e.V.). The Stuttgart Surface Technology Prize "The Surface" is awarded every two years and will be awarded for the ninth time in 2024. The award ceremony will take place on June 4, 2024 at the specialist forum of the international trade fair Surface Technology Germany in Stuttgart. All the necessary documents for the application and further information are available on the Fraunhofer IPA website.