82nd HeatTreatmentCongress 31st IFHTSE World Congress European Conference on Heat Treatment (ECHT) 4th Conference Steel Innovation Event

82nd HeatTreatmentCongress
31st IFHTSE World Congress
European Conference on Heat Treatment (ECHT)
4th Conference Steel Innovation

13 – 15 October 2026
Cologne Trade Fair – Entrance East
Ph.D. Lesley Frame
(IFHTSE President)
Dr. Thomas Waldenmaier
(AWT Chairman)

Dear colleagues, researchers, industry partners, and friends of the global heat treatment and surface engineering community,

With great enthusiasm, we invite you to join us in Cologne this October for one of the most comprehensive and international gatherings our field has ever seen: the 31st IFHTSE World Congress, the European Conference on Heat Treatment (ECHT), the 82nd HeatTreatmentCongress (HK), and Steel Innovation 2026 – four conferences united under one roof, together with one exceptional exhibition, and one shared vision for the future of materials, heat treatment and surface engineering.

This year’s program brings together more than 100 expert contributions from leading universities, research institutes, and industrial innovators across the world. Covering thermochemical processing, quenching and distortion, AI & digitalization, simulation and modelling, additive manufacturing, sustainability, steel innovation, and advanced surface engineering, the sessions reflect the full breadth and dynamism of our community.
Program as PDF-file
What truly sets HK/IFHTSE/ECHT/SI 2026 apart is the exhibition – the vibrant center of the entire event. Here, companies present their latest technologies, digital solutions, furnace concepts, testing methods, and sustainable approaches. It is the place where ideas turn into collaborations, where researchers meet practitioners, and where innovations find their way into industrial reality. The exhibition is the beating heart of the event – and we warmly encourage every participant to experience it fully.
List of Exhibitors
Across three days, you will find:

  • Plenary lectures from internationally renowned experts
  • Focused technical sessions covering every major area of heat treatment, materials and surface engineering
  • A lively poster session, offering young researchers a stage to present their work
  • An international exhibition, bringing together equipment manufacturers, technology providers, and industrial partners
  • Networking opportunities, including the Wednesday evening reception and the conference dinner
  • And, of course, the unique atmosphere of Cologne – a city that welcomes innovation as warmly as it welcomes people.

Whether you are presenting research, exploring new technologies, seeking industrial partners, or simply looking to stay at the forefront of our field, this event offers an exceptional platform to connect, learn, and contribute.

We look forward to welcoming you – to the exchange of knowledge, to the celebration of innovation, and to the global community of heat treatment, materials and surface engineering.

Warm regards,
Ph. D. Lesley Frame (President of IFHTSE) and
Dr. Thomas Waldenmaier (Chairman of AWT)
Register here

Conference Chair

Ph.D. Lesley Frame (University of Connecticut, President of IFHTSE, USA)
Dr. Thomas Waldenmaier (Robert Bosch GmbH, Chairman of AWT, Germany)

International Committee

Dr. Mischa Bachmann (Volkswagen AG, Germany)
Prof. Rafael Colas (Universidad Autónoma de Nueva Leon, Mexico)
Prof. Rainer Fechte-Heinen (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstoff­orientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Imre Felde (Óbuda University, Executive Committee Member  of IFHTSE, Hungary)
Prof. Jianfeng Gu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Vice President of IFHTSE, China)
Bernard Kuntzmann (Listemann AG, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Switzerland)
Sabrina Kuntzmann (Treasurer of IFHTSE, Switzerland)
Dr. Stefan Hock (Secretary General IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Scott Mackenzie (Quaker Houghton Inc, USA)
Enrico Morgano (Presidente del Comitato Tecnico AIM, Italy)
Prof. Masahiro Okumiya (Toyota Technological Institute,
Executive Member of IFHTSE, Japan)
Prof. Massimo Pellizzari (University of Trento, Past President of IFHTSE, Italy)
Prof. Bojan Podgornik (Institute of Metals and Technology, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Slovenia)
Prof. Reinhold Schneider (University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Austria)
Christophe Stocky (R&D Centre of ABS Acciaierie Bertoli Safau, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, France)
Dr. Eva Troell (RISE IVF Research Institutes of Sweden, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Sweden)
Bernhard Vandewiele (General manager at BVDW consultancy, Belgium)
Filip Vráblík (ECOSOND s.r.o., President of ATZK, Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Prof. Mufu Yan (Harbin Institute of Technology, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, China)

Scientific/Program Committee

Prof. Thomas L. Christiansen (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, USA)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Rainer Fechte-Heinen (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstofforientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Volker Heuer (ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH, Germany)
Prof. Olaf Keßler (Lehrstuhl für Werkstofftechnik, Universität Rostock, Germany)
Prof. Ulrich Krupp (Director of IEHK – Institut für Eisenhüttenkunde, RWTH Aachen University, Germany)
Prof. Marcel Somers (Technical University of Denmark, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Denmark)
Dr. Matthias Steinbacher (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstofforientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Germany)
Dr. Isabell Toldo (Hilti AG, Liechtenstein)
Prof. Veronique Vitry (Université de Mons – Faculté Polytechnique, France)

Local Organizing Committee

Sonja Müller (Managing Director of AWT)
Dr. Thomas Waldenmaier (Robert Bosch GmbH, Chairman of AWT)
Dr. Stefan Hock (Secretary General of IFHTSE)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Rainer Fechte-Heinen (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstofforientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Rainer Tinscher (F&E Technologiebroker Bremen GmbH)
www.hk-awt.de
Awarding of the Adolf-Martens-Medal
on HK 2026 – IFHTSE World Congress – ECHT – Steel Innovation

82nd HeatTreatmentCongress
31st IFHTSE World Congress
European Conference on Heat Treatment (ECHT)
4th Conference Steel Innovation

13 – 15 October 2026
Cologne Trade Fair – Entrance East

Awarding of the Adolf-Martens-Medal
on HK 2026 – IFHTSE World Congress – ECHT – Steel Innovation

Dear colleagues and friends of AWT,

it is a pleasure for AWT to announce one of the highlights of this year’s HeatTreatmentCongress: AWT will honor Prof. Marcel A. J. Somers for his extensive scholarship in the fields of metallurgy, heat treatment and surface engineering by awarding him the Adolf-Martens-Medal. The Adolf-Martens-Medal is AWT’s most distinguished honor, awarded only to very few scientists with extraordinary scientific lifetime achievements in materials science.
Prof. Somers has transformed the scientific understanding of gas-metal interactions, nitriding and nitrocarburizing, expanded austenite and high temperature solution nitriding, setting new standards for how thermochemical processes are conceived and applied. Building on this foundation, he has seamlessly united fundamental science, process understanding and industrial innovation, shaping the field like few others and creating an internationally influential body of work that has inspired a generation of heat treatment researchers.

The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, October 14, 9.00 am as part of the conference program. Prof. Marcel A. J. Somers will top the honoring ceremony with his lecture: “The pivotal role of nitrogen in exploring and exploiting heat treatment and surface engineering; from nitriding to cryogenic treatment”. 
It is time to register now!

Poster Award

Posters are a valuable form of communication at conferences! Visible to participants at any time, posters provide the opportunity to present complex data which could hardly be explained in the limited time of an oral presentation. A total of 3000 €, sponsored equally by Burgdorf GmbH & Co. KG and Fluxtrol Inc., will be awarded for the best posters at the IFHTSE World Congress, HeatTreatmentCongress (HK), ECHT and Steel Innovation. The sum will be divided among the awardees.

Students and trainees can attend the entire event for free! The poster competition is an excellent opportunity for young scientists, who prefer not to give an oral presentation. A special poster show will take place on Wednesday, October 14, 12.00 – 1.30 pm, at the poster area of the exhibition hall.

Please, submit your announcement and a draft of the poster to info@awt-online.org. Deadline for the announcement of posters is August 15, 2026. The winners of the poster award will be announced at Wednesday evening at the conference gala.

Tickets for the conference and trade show are now available for purchase in the ticket shop on the website www.hk-awt.de.
Current state of the conference program
Ticketshop
Congress tickets include the access to the exhibition. Tickets for the exhibition admission can be purchased separately.

Questions about the conference event will be answered by the AWT-office:
Phone +49 421 5229339, info@awt-online.org.
Questions about the exhibition booking will be answered by the exhibition office:
F&E Technologiebroker Bremen GmbH,
Phone +49 421 3972850, contact@congressmanagement.info

Conference Chair

Ph.D. Lesley Frame (University of Connecticut, President of IFHTSE, USA)
Dr. Thomas Waldenmaier (Robert Bosch GmbH, Chairman of AWT, Germany)

International Committee

Dr. Mischa Bachmann (Volkswagen AG, Germany)
Prof. Rafael Colas (Universidad Autónoma de Nueva Leon, Mexico)
Prof. Rainer Fechte-Heinen (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstoff­orientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Imre Felde (Óbuda University, Executive Committee Member  of IFHTSE, Hungary)
Prof. Jianfeng Gu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Vice President of IFHTSE, China)
Bernard Kuntzmann (Listemann AG, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Switzerland)
Sabrina Kuntzmann (Treasurer of IFHTSE, Switzerland)
Dr. Stefan Hock (Secretary General IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Scott Mackenzie (Quaker Houghton Inc, USA)
Enrico Morgano (Presidente del Comitato Tecnico AIM, Italy)
Prof. Masahiro Okumiya (Toyota Technological Institute,
Executive Member of IFHTSE, Japan)
Prof. Massimo Pellizzari (University of Trento, Past President of IFHTSE, Italy)
Prof. Bojan Podgornik (Institute of Metals and Technology, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Slovenia)
Prof. Reinhold Schneider (University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Austria)
Christophe Stocky (R&D Centre of ABS Acciaierie Bertoli Safau, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, France)
Dr. Eva Troell (RISE IVF Research Institutes of Sweden, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Sweden)
Bernhard Vandewiele (General manager at BVDW consultancy, Belgium)
Filip Vráblík (ECOSOND s.r.o., President of ATZK, Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Prof. Mufu Yan (Harbin Institute of Technology, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, China)

Scientific/Program Committee

Prof. Thomas L. Christiansen (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, USA)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Rainer Fechte-Heinen (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstofforientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Volker Heuer (ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH, Germany)
Prof. Olaf Keßler (Lehrstuhl für Werkstofftechnik, Universität Rostock, Germany)
Prof. Ulrich Krupp (Director of IEHK – Institut für Eisenhüttenkunde, RWTH Aachen University, Germany)
Prof. Marcel Somers (Technical University of Denmark, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Denmark)
Dr. Matthias Steinbacher (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstofforientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Germany)
Dr. Isabell Toldo (Hilti AG, Liechtenstein)
Prof. Veronique Vitry (Université de Mons – Faculté Polytechnique, France)

Local Organizing Committee

Sonja Müller (Managing Director of AWT)
Dr. Thomas Waldenmaier (Robert Bosch GmbH, Chairman of AWT)
Dr. Stefan Hock (Secretary General of IFHTSE)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Rainer Fechte-Heinen (Leibniz-Institut für Werkstofforientierte Technologien – IWT, Bremen, Executive Committee Member of IFHTSE, Germany)
Dr. Rainer Tinscher (F&E Technologiebroker Bremen GmbH)
www.hk-awt.de
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