2026 Eugen Hartmann Prize for the Automation of Cold Gas Spraying
Marcel Lewke, M.Sc., is receiving the 2026 Eugen Hartmann Prize for his outstanding professional achievements in the field of measurement and automation technology. In his award-winning work, he demonstrates how robotics and automation are advancing cold gas spraying into an efficient repair technology.
Marcel Lewke is receiving the award for his paper “Automation of a Repair Process by Robot-Guided Cold Spray,” which was published in 2025 in the international journal *Journal of Thermal Spray Technology*. The focus is on repairing valuable components made of titanium and titanium-aluminum alloys using cold gas spraying, such as those used in aircraft engines. The automated repair process developed by Lewke combines modern sensor technology, robotics, and intelligent process planning. It encompasses sensor-based inspection of the damaged area, automated removal of the damaged material, robot path planning for material application, and the transmission of control codes to the robot controller.
Automation and Robotics in Cold Gas Spraying
Marcel Lewke is the lead author of the paper, which was co-authored by five other authors from academia and industry. The developed concept was successfully validated through simulations and extensive laboratory experiments. The reviewers praised the work as technically sound, clearly structured, and methodologically convincing. It demonstrates in an outstanding way how cold gas spraying can be further developed into an efficient and reliable repair technique through the integration of automation and robotics. “This award is a great honor for me. It confirms the relevance and potential of this field of research. In addition to the appreciation for the intensive personal effort and passion that went into this research, I also see the award as recognition of the outstanding collaboration and support from everyone involved who contributed to this work. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my heartfelt thanks to all of them!” explains the award winner. The Eugen Hartmann Prize, awarded by the VDI/VDE Society for Measurement and Automation Technology (GMA), is presented every three years for scientific, design, experimental, or technical work in the field of measurement and automation technology. Both scientific findings and practical engineering achievements are evaluated. The prize is endowed with 2,000€.
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