Global welding experts unite at University West

This week, University West is hosting the international conferences IIW Intermediate Meeting and Cracking Phenomena in Welding and Additive Manufacturing—two recurring events where technical progress and research in welding technology are presented.

"The conferences bring together researchers and industry experts from around the world. They are important forums where the latest developments in welding processes, materials, and related technologies are presented and discussed. This year, there is also a strong focus on additive manufacturing, which is becoming increasingly interesting for the industry," says Asun Valiente, Associate Professor at University West.

The conferences also provide excellent networking opportunities between industrial companies, PhD students, and senior researchers — often leading to new ideas for joint research projects and future collaborations.

Visit at Production Technology Center

"We are delighted to welcome the world’s leading welding experts and to showcase our well-equipped research environment at the Production Technology Center. Conference participants will be given guided tours of the facilities, where industry and academia collaborate to develop new welding technologies," Asun adds.

"Our close collaboration with industry may be particularly interesting for the participants to experience. Such partnerships are not as common in other countries, but here we see great advantages in sharing equipment and knowledge in joint facilities," Asun points out.

Voices from the conference participants

Chandima Ratnayake, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Stavanger, is attending both conferences for the first time:
"I appreciate the broad range of knowledge presented here. There are many valuable perspectives on welding to take in. We conduct research on welding and arc-based additive manufacturing and collaborate, among others, with the petroleum industry in Norway. It is a sector where additive manufacturing is highly interesting, for example, to quickly replace defective components with newly 3D-printed ones," says Chandima Ratnayake.

One of the presentations was given by SAAM, a company based in Kristinehamn that specializes in arc welding additive manufacturing. Representing the company was Lars-Erik Stridh, Technical Director:
"We have shared the opportunities that our manufacturing technology offers. Our solution is circular, focusing on reuse rather than new production. The conference has also provided me with a great deal of new knowledge, including methods for detecting cracks and other defects in welded materials," comments Lars-Erik Stridh.

Hee Jin KIM from Korea sees at least two good reasons to participate in the conferences. First, he is the Chair of IIW Commission IX, which is responsible for part of the program during the Intermediate Meetings. Second, he represents CS Wind in Korea:
"CS Wind manufactures wind towers in several factories worldwide. We are continuously working on developing our welding technology, and hopefully, we can benefit from AI in manufacturing in the future. Research is ongoing in this area, but it will take time before the technology can be implemented in full-scale production," says Hee Jin KIM.

FACTS

• IIW Intermediate Meetings are organized by the International Institute of Welding—a global organization with over 50 member countries. In Sweden, it is represented by the Swedish Welding Commission.
• The conference Cracking Phenomena in Welding and Additive Manufacturing is being held for the fifth time, organized by University West, voestalpine Böhler Welding and Ohio State University.