GTS Annual General Meeting 2009 – gathering of the GTS folk

Peter Heinrich, Unterschleissheim
 

This year’s GTS AGM included a very informative workshop with a broad spectrum of topics and an array of excellent speakers:

• Energy management, project management, quality management for companies in trade and industry by Bastian Rüther, EnPQM UG (Ltd.), Dortmund
• Patents, a boon for industry, by Rainer Kasseckert, General Counsel Intellectual Property, Legal Services, The Linde Group, Pullach
• Safety aspects when using gas in thermal spraying by Johann Raab, Linde AG, Linde Gas Division, Pullach
• Manufacture of cored wire for thermal spraying by Dr. Frank Schreiber, DURUM Verschleißschutz GmbH, Willich

The speakers at the workshop for GTS members (from l. to r.): Bastian Rüther (EnPQM UG), Rainer Kasseckert (The Linde Group), Johann Raab (Linde AG), Dr. Frank Schreiber (DURUM Verschleißschutz GmbH

Next on the agenda was the novel and very effective presentation of the AiF/DFG research cluster “Thermal Spraying”. Each individual project was introduced by way of posters, and the project leaders were available for questions and answers. Prof. Kirsten Bobzin and Peter Heinrich were the session chairs for this part of the workshop. The cluster comprises the projects presented in the box on page VIII:

The progress the cluster has made and the way it is conducted are outstanding and set a shining example – in my capacity as a link between research and industry, I would like to emphasize this.

The GTS Annual General Meeting is not only about business, but also about socializing which, in my opinion, is extremely important for our association and should be fostered by all of us. Good long conversations, not only shoptalk, in a relaxed and casual setting with delicious local specialities and a good drop of wine serve as a kind of roadmap for our gala evenings. Out of these socials gatherings, close-knit “mini-clans”, seemingly in cahoots with one another, have been known to emerge. For years to come, they get together on a regular basis and build up real friendships with each other. The amiable group I am referring to here are the Rittel, Gruner, Bushofen and Lemke families. I think this is great, and the table seating at our gala evenings firmly testifies to this “connection”.

At this year’s meeting in Herzogenaurach, the GTS Ring of Honour was awarded to Dieter Grasme. You can read more about this here.

Our faithful senior member, Horst Cremer, who went out of his way to attend the AGM, and Miloslav Kabelka, who will be starting his well-deserved retirement, were both given one of my personal GTS ties.

Once again, the bar didn’t manage to farewell its lasts guests, in the best of spirits, until very late (or rather until very early, in the wee hours of the morning).

We are also pleased that the specially selected accompanying
program always goes down so well and that the ladies enjoy their half day of culture with such gusto. This time, Ms Fischer, the organizer, successfully sent off 15 attractive ladies, all hungry for knowledge, on their cultural journey to Nuremberg.

The golf tournament which takes place on the day before the AGM is now a popular tradition. With the 10th GTS Open, this event has reached a legendary high sporting level, and the tournament never fails to gain new golf prospects through its so-called taster sessions.

On the very challenging course at the Herzogenaurach golf club, Angelika Heinrich went down in this year’s golf chronicles as the women’s champion; Gerhard Buhmann won, and deservedly so, all the men’s competitions – now that’s saying something. Hearty congratulations to both.

I would like to thank all our highly motivated golfers and our very generous sponsors for this year’s tournament. These are the gentlemen Jochen Rybak, Fritz Alps, Ingo Dressel, Günter Schürhold, Peter Knauf, Ton Kraak and Meno Zwetzloot.

The next AGM with workshop and golf tournament will take place in Weimar from 14–16 October 2010.

AiF/DFG research cluster “Thermal Spraying”

The project leaders in the AiF/DFG research cluster “Thermal Spraying” (from left to right): Bastian Rüther (W2 / LWT, TU Dortmund), Thomas Warda (P2 / IOT, RWTH Aachen University), Marcel Schäfer (P3 / IOT, RWTH Aachen University), Kouichiro Onizawa (W3 / IW, UniBw Hamburg), Dr. Frank Gärtner (IW, UniBw Hamburg), Dr. Stephan Zimmermann (Q2 / LPT, UniBw München), Tim Bause (W1 / IW, Uni Hannover), Li Cao (Q1 / IWW, TU Chemnitz), Dr. Christian Rupprecht (P1 / IWW, TU Chemnitz)

The Projects W1„Nanolegierung“ – Development of new nano-structured vitreous phase forming Fe-based alloys for thermal spraying P1 „Nanoschicht“ – Development of wear-protective materials based on amorphously solidifying alloys with particle reinforcement W2 „Fe-Basis-Feinstpulverlegierung“ – Fine-structured Fe-based materials and corresponding processing methods for wear and corrosion protection Q1 „Online ZFP“ – Non-destructive characterization of thermal spray coatings using thermographic test methods P2 „Feinstpulverschicht“ – Development and manufacture of coating systems with minimal post-treatment for inexpensive corrosion and wear protection using superfine Fe-based powders P3 „HVOF-Simulation“ – Modelling and simulation to optimize the torch geometry and powder injection for HVOF processes when spraying superfine powders Q2 „Prozessdiagnostik“ – Design, setup and application of mobile diagnostic systems for the hardchrome substitution coating process W3 „Kaltgasspritzen“ (CGS-Gravurwerkstoffe) – Cold spray coatings for laser-engraving intaglio printing rolls