ITSC 2017 Successfully Paved the Way to the Stars

30.06.2017

"Thermal Spray Paves the Way to the Stars!" - That was the motto of this year's International Thermal Spray Conference & Exposition in Düsseldorf from June 7 to 9, 2017.

Nearly 700 participants and visitors followed the call and obtained information about developments in the field of thermal spraying at the conference and the fair. The German Welding Society (DVS) was the organiser of the congress with over 300 specialist contributions. Messe Essen organised the accompanying exhibition with over 60 exhibitors from twelve nations. Both partners made positive assessments.

"ITSC successfully unites the theory and practice of thermal spraying. All the leading companies in the sector were represented this year. That shows the significance of ITSC as the most important expert event for this key technology anywhere in the world," according to Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen. Dr.-Ing. Roland Boecking, General Manager of DVS, stated: "With ITSC here in Düsseldorf, we have been able to offer the sector topical information and pioneering applications not only in the specialist lectures but also in the exhibition. However, we are primarily pleased about the interested youngsters who, with their series of lectures, have aroused the enthusiasm of the experts."

DVS had made plans for the students and the young professionals to have their own session in the programme of lectures directly on the first day. Out of the eleven young speakers, Wolfgang Wietheger, M.Sc., received the Oerlikon Metco Young Professionals Award during the presentation ceremony in the evening. Moreover, the René Wasserman Prize was conferred on GTV Verschleißschutz GmbH and six people were pleased about the ITSC Best Paper Awards for their lectures or posters.

Thermal spraying constitutes a technology for the coating of materials using thermal or kinetic energy. Amongst other applications, it is utilised in automobile construction, medical technology, gas turbine construction, the printing and paper sectors, the manufacture of fuel cells and aerospace engineering. This year's ITSC concentrated on optimum tribological properties in engine technology, modern corrosion and wear protection in power station and offshore applications, improved thermal barrier coatings in turbine technology as well as a large number of other applications of surface technology. The Industrial Forum in which exhibitors were able to use lectures in order to make the participants in the congress familiar with their product innovations served as a link between the conference and the exhibition. The Exhibitors Evening, staged by Messe Essen, and the Networking Event in the ESPRIT ARENA, organised by DVS, ensured the exchange of experience and the intensification of business relations.

The International Thermal Spray Conference & Exposition is an event staged by DVS and the ASM Thermal Spray Society (ASM TSS). Messe Essen is the organiser of the accompanying exhibition in Europe. DVS and ASM TSS stage ITSC alternately in different places all over the world. The next ITSC will take place in Orlando from May 7 to 10, 2018.

Exhibitors' Opinions

Guido Plicht, Metals Processing & EPAT Industry Manager EMEA, Air Products:

"We are always happy to participate at ITSC. Not only the organisation makes things easy for us, but also it is the perfect place for networking. Air Products is a global gas company with over 75 years’ experience in gas application technologies. We work closely with our customers to find the right processes, technologies and solutions to help them succeed in their business. Example of that is our innovative technology for thermal spraying cooling where the consistent supply and purity of industrial gases are key factors for applying the high-quality coatings end users demand. As we enjoy creating long lasting relationships with our customers, ITSC always provides a good opportunity to meet them in a great venue."

Dr.-Ing. Klaus Nassenstein, Managing Director, GTV Verschleißschutz:

"See and be seen - That is our motto as an exhibitor at ITSC. The fair is outstandingly suitable for looking after your image and establishing contacts to young engineers. This year, too, we have reached our target group with as good as no scatter losses. Therefore, our assessment turns out to be positive all round."

Joachim Beczkowiak, Senior Sales Manager, H.C. Starck Surface Technology and Ceramic Powders:

"Our participation as an exhibitor at ITSC in Düsseldorf this year has been very worthwhile for us. We were able to use ITSC in order not only to consolidate our existing business relations even further but also to establish new contacts. The number of our visitors has even increased in comparison with the last European ITSC in Barcelona. The location of Düsseldorf attracted customers, above all, from Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to the exhibition, we were also interested in the conference which took place on a very good technical level."

Peter Richter, General Manager, Impact Innovations:

"As an exhibitor, we have profited from the conference: After lectures with references to our products and processes, we registered more visitors to our booth than otherwise. These included not only existing customers but also potential new purchasers. Amongst other ways, we were able to arouse interest and establish contacts with a contribution to the Industrial Forum. Therefore, ITSC has been worthwhile for us."

Francois Leroy, CEO, LESCAV:

"We are very satisfied with our appearance at this year's ITSC. Our focus was on special silicone tools for HVOF treatment. We were particularly surprised by the start of the show: we had an unexpectedly high amount of visitors at our booth, which were 100 percent consistent with our target group. This high quality of the trade visitors is at all the great strength of the ITSC. That is why it is also one of the two most important fairs in which we participate. In the coming year, we want to develop the US market at the ITSC in Orlando."

Werner Krömmer, Sales & Marketing, Market Development Manufacturing Industrie/Thermal Spraying, Linde:

"ITSC is primarily a networking event for us and it has totally fulfilled the claim associated with this. On the occasion of the conference, we have met a lot of high-ranking representatives from research and industry - precisely our target group."

Andreas Bachmann, Head of Technology Communications, Oerlikon:

"At ITSC, the international trade public meets up for thermal coating and increasingly for other surface technologies, too. At this conference, we reach opinion formers from science and industry and can profit from the exchange of scientific findings. The next step should be to open the attached exhibition to adjacent and complementary technologies and markets to a greater extent in order to be able to address wider and more extensive target groups and users in this way."

Howard Wallar, Product Manager Thermal Spray Powders, St. Gobain:

"The ITSC is one of our most important shows as an exhibitor because it brings a combination of exhibition and conference. The show is a good place to meet new people and customers and the quality of attendees is very good."

Götz Matthäus, General Manager, Thermico:

"The setup of the exhibition was very communicative and good for customer discussions. We have done very well at reaching our target groups, especially industrial representatives from Europe and, above all, Japan. Our appearance concentrated on our RMTU machine with a rotating torch and a particularly high number of visitors were interested in this. As an exhibitor, we have profited from the conference in no fewer than two ways: On the one hand, we have delivered lectures ourselves. And on the other hand, a lot of participants in the conference have used the exhibition as a change between the lectures. In brief: ITSC is the ideal combination of theory and practice."