Aluminum 2026 Review: VOA Gives a Positive Assessment
At the Aluminum trade show in Düsseldorf, the Association for the Surface Finishing of Aluminum (VOA) showcased the full range of modern aluminum surfaces from October 6 to 8, 2026—and looks back on a successful event.
As a long-standing partner of the Aluminium trade show, the VOA used the event not only to showcase innovative applications but also to engage in in-depth discussions with members, companies, and interested parties. With its successful presence at the trade show, the VOA once again underscored its role as a network, advocacy group, and platform of expertise for the surface finishing of aluminum. The association’s booth once again became a central meeting place for the industry. In numerous discussions with members, exhibitors, and visitors, current market developments, technical challenges, and future requirements for quality and sustainability were addressed. “For many years, the Aluminium trade show has been an important platform for the VOA to foster dialogue within the industry. We greatly value the personal contact with our members and prospective clients. The numerous discussions and the high level of interest in the applications on display demonstrated just how diverse and future-proof aluminum surface finishing is—and which topics are driving the industry,” summarizes VOA Managing Director Kathrin Lämmermann.
VOA Represented in the Surface & Design Area
In addition to its own booth, the VOA was represented with numerous exhibits in the popular Surface & Design Area, impressively showcasing the technical and design versatility of finished aluminum surfaces. Among the items on display were an anodized motorcycle case in two different designs, a red-anodized motorcycle wheel, and a guitar amplifier with a powder-coated metallic fine-texture surface in green. The presentation was complemented by various aluminum hinges and aluminum profiles that had been professionally stripped at a facility certified according to the internationally recognized specifications of the Qualistrip quality mark. In addition, selected examples of surface defects illustrated the importance of quality-assured processes in surface finishing. Dirk Wengenroth, spokesperson for the Qualistrip Testing Committee, was also on hand to answer questions, providing expert support to the VOA team on the second day of the trade show.
Aluminum surfaces are more than just corrosion protection
The anodized aluminum bowls by artist Larissa Thiel were a particular eye-catcher. A graduate of the State Academy of Fine Arts in Hanau, she developed the exhibited works based on her journeyman’s piece, with which she won the 17th Hessian Design Award. Through her objects, she demonstrates how artisanal design, material expertise, and high-quality surface technology can be combined. The exhibition was complemented by various anodized and color-hard-anodized cast and aluminum components, as well as innovative skis made of an extremely strong aluminum alloy, whose surface was finished using digital sub-anodic printing. The diversity of the applications on display made it clear that aluminum surfaces today offer far more than mere corrosion protection: they combine functionality, sustainability, design, and technical performance.
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