Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM
They will take place for the first time from 11 - 12 November 2020: The Bremen Bonding Days. The new event format of the Fraunhofer IFAM shines with top-class lectures, an international audience and plenty of room for networking. Dr. Holger Fricke, head of the department of adhesive bonding production at Fraunhofer IFAM, explains in an interview why the Bremen Bonding Days were created, what the difference is to the German-speaking Bremer Klebtage and what highlights the participants can expect.
Dr. Fricke, what made you decide to create the Bremen Bonding Days and what is special about this new event?
The german Brmer Llebtage have been held since 2001; in 2019 they will be held on the occasion of the anniversary event "25 years of Bremen Bonding" with almost 250 participants. As an exchange of experience, the Bremer Klebtage represent a recognised further training for DVS®/EWF bonding specialists. However, they are also open to all other people interested in the topic of bonding technology. Again and again, there were inquiries from course participants , cooperation partners from abroad and colleagues, as to whether the Bremer Klebtage could not also be set up in an English version so that they would also be accessible to the international expert audience of bonding technology. We are reacting to this request and developing an international, English-language format with a similar character: the Bremen Bonding Days. These, too, are characterised by the high-quality lecture programme with professional, experienced experts who report on their special achievements and insights in the field of bonding. The speakers are proven personalities from the world of bonding with very different focuses. This gives us a broadly diversified programme with many interesting specialist contributions.
What is the difference between the Bremer Klebtage and the Bremen Bonding Days? Is it worthwhile to attend both events?
Definitely, yes! The Bremen Bonding Days are a combination of the old and the new: We use the concept of the Bremer Klebtage as a basis, transform it into an English-speaking event and expand it with lectures by internationally renowned experts. We combine it with our previous international training course "EAE Refresher", which will be integrated into the Bremen Bonding Days. The content framework of the Bremen Bonding Days is similar to that of the Bremer Klebtage, but we have different speakers and lectures at both events, so that a visit to both events is definitely worthwhile and brings added value. Due to the English language orientation of the Bremen Bonding Days, we have the advantage of being able to access an international circle of experts and therefore offer a lot of variety.
In your opinion, what are the highlights of the first Bremen Bonding Days in November 2020?
I am particularly looking forward to the great variety of topics and the wide range of experience of the speakers. Right at the beginning we have a lecture by Prof. Steven Abbott. He will talk about his new, practical book "Sticking Together: The Science of Adhesion", which you can also buy and have signed afterwards. We will also have some lectures from the applied practice of industrial bonding and from large companies, for example Airbus, Audi and Knorr Bremse. Andreas Kiefer from AtlasCopco Industrial Assembly Solutions will give a trend-setting lecture on the application technology 4.0. Also the lecture of Prof. Dr. Andreas Groß and the panel discussion on the topic "Circular Economy in Bonding Technology" will present exciting aspects, because with its demand for a "Circular Economy" the European Union asks the question how to loosen joints and recycle valuable materials. In addition to the contributions from practical experience, there will also be some from research: Prof. Dr. Stijn Debruyne from KU Leuven, who is already known to many from the EAE courses, will report on the design of adhesive joints and Prof. Andreas Hartwig will discuss current challenges in the formulation of adhesives.
In addition to the lectures, the get-together with the speakers, experts and participants with extensive networking opportunities is also a highlight. Participants will have access to the broad international audience of specialists and executives from the industry. They have the opportunity to exchange and network with colleagues from the industry on an international level.
Thank you very much for the interview!