Application opening for the Stuttgart Surface Technology Award 2022

The award "THE SURFACE" honors innovative applications and technologies across all disciplines of surface technology. © Fraunhofer IPA/Photo: Rainer Bez

This is what winners look like: »Eco Paint Process Trucks« in action at Daimler Truck AG. © Daimler Truck AG

Awarding innovative applications and technologies across all disciplines of surface technology: Fraunhofer IPA is awarding the Stuttgart Surface Technology Award "THE SURFACE" for the eighth time this year. The application phase begins on January 17, and the award ceremony will take place on June 21 at the international trade fair Surface Technology Germany.

"Highly efficient and environmentally friendly" – with these words, jury member Michael Hilt, Managing Director of the Research Society for Pigments and Coatings e.V., praised Daimler Truck AG's submission at the award ceremony in November 2020. With "Eco Paint Process Trucks" (EP-T), the engineers of the commercial vehicle manufacturer succeeded in developing a flexible, automated painting process for truck cabs that requires less paint and operates at lower temperatures. For this, the team received first place at the Surface Technology Award "THE SURFACE" 2020.

In addition to sustainability, the three-member jury also evaluates the degree of innovation, the extent of the technology or application as enabling technology, and industrial feasibility. "Every component inevitably interacts with its surface. Therefore, surface technology is significantly involved in the innovation and progress of numerous industries. We want to promote and recognize this," explains jury member Martin Metzner, Head of the Galvanotechnik Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation IPA. For example, the hydrogen economy could be advanced if less of the extremely rare metal iridium were consumed in electrode coating in electrolyzers in the future. From January 17 to April 19, 2022, it will again be possible to apply for the Stuttgart Surface Technology Award "THE SURFACE."

The award is open to individuals or organizations. All those who have contributed innovatively to shaping the surface technology industry are encouraged to participate, regardless of whether they work in galvanic technology, coating technology, thermal spraying, or other industrial fields related to surface technology.

This year, the award will be presented on the opening day of the international trade fair Surface Technology Germany in Stuttgart, which will take place from June 21 to 23, 2022. The independent expert jury is composed of Martin Metzner (Fraunhofer IPA), Martin Riester (VDMA Surface Technology), and Michael Hilt (Research Society for Pigments and Coatings e.V.), and works across disciplines. Participation in the competition is excluded for the three organizations that the jury members represent.