Dear friends of IFHTSE,
It has already been two years since I took office as president, and my term is coming to an end. These have been two intense years, full of meetings and events, which have allowed me to get to know the national associations, companies, and many colleagues working in the sector better. On many occasions, I have been welcomed as a guest of honor, a situation I was not used to, thank you!
I am very grateful for the opportunity I have been given and would like to thank everyone who has helped me to carry out the Federation’s work and share important choices and decisions. I would like to mention Lesley Frame, who became the new president January 1; Stefan Hock, our secretary general; Imre Felde, for his valuable work as treasurer, and the entire executive committee. I leave my position knowing that my successor will be up to the challenges that await IFHTSE, and I will continue to collaborate passionately to make my contribution.
My warmest regards — Massimo Pellizzari
IFHTSE welcomes new president for 2026 -2027
Dr. Lesley Frame is now serving as the new president of IFHTSE for 2026-2027. Dr. Frame is associate professor of Materials Science and Engineering, past-UTC Professor of Innovation, and director of the Center for Materials Processing Data at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Frame received her BS from the Department of Materials Science Engineering at MIT, and she received her MS and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in the same field. Upon completion of her Ph.D., she held postdoctoral positions at The Arizona Research Institute for Solar Energy, and then at Cardiff University and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory as a Fulbright Scholar where she studied residual stresses using neutron diffraction.
Dr. Frame spent five years in the industry at Thermatool Corp. leading product development projects, the materials characterization lab, customer technical training seminars, and process improvement efforts for the tube and pipe industry. Her current research focuses on materials processing-structure-property relationships and failure analysis related to metals manufacturing processes, residual stress formation, corrosion, and transient materials properties. She is actively involved in ASM International; she is a past president of the Heat Treating Society, and she was the vice president for the International Federation for Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering (IFHTSE) for 2024-2025.
New IFHTSE treasurer takes the reins
At the beginning of 2026, Sabina Kuntzmann will assume the important role of treasurer of the IFHTSE.
Following her studies in languages, economics and law, she began her career in the heat-treatment industry more than 20 years ago. This field has remained as her professional.
For approximately 17 years, she has been actively involved with the Swiss Heat Treatment Association (SVW). Within SVW, she initially served as secretary and subsequently as head of the Association Office. In these roles, Kuntzmann was responsible for a wide range of tasks, including communication, marketing, event organization and the management of the association’s financial transactions.
This extensive experience and solid expertise will enable her to contribute to the stable financial position of the IFHTSE; to ensure the up-to-date financial planning and control in cooperation with the executive committee, and to provide transparent and reliable reporting to all key stakeholders.
Conference Updates
BHTS’2026
April 16-17
Istanbul, Turkeye
BHTS’2026 – the 3rd Bosphorus International Heat Treatment Symposium will be April 16-17, 2026, at the Sabancı University Performing Arts Center in Istanbul, in collaboration with the Metal Heat Treatment Industrialists Association (MISAD) and UCTEA Chamber of Metallurgical and Materials Engineers’ Training Center (METEM). The chairman of the event is Nuri Kiziltan.
The symposium will provide a comprehensive platform to discuss heat treatment, one of the strategic fields of manufacturing, considering the latest technological and scientific developments. The goal is to bring together all stakeholders, including industry leaders, engineers, researchers, academics, and end users, to exchange knowledge, build collaborations, and shape the future of the field.
For more info: info@bhtsheat.com or www.bhtsheat.com/en
7th Asian Conference on Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering
September 18-21, 2026
Chengdu, China
The 7th Asian Conference on Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering is a quality event, with typical attendance at more than 1,000 attendees. The location is very walkable, beautiful, and unique. Chengdu is the capital city of Sichuan and is noted for its spicy food and hot pots. More details to come.
31st IFHTSE World Congress
October 13-15, 2026
Cologne, Germany
Organized by AWT – Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wärmebehandlung + Werkstofftechnik e. V., the 31st IFHTSE World Congress will be October 13-15, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, at the International Conference and trade fair. It will include three events: HK 2026, ECHT 2026, and the 31st IHTSE World Congress
This will truly be a huge event. If you have never attended the AWT HK (HärtereiKongress) event, this is one of the largest (if not the largest) heat treating trade show in the world. This, combined with ECHT 2026 and the 31st World Congress, will be the ONE event to attend.
This large conference is organized in cooperation with the International Federation for Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering (IFHTSE) as well as the European heat-treatment associations from France, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Benelux countries. Due to the expected number of lecture registrations, the congress event is planned as a three-day event. The language of the conference will be English.
Abstracts are due March 15, 2026.
More info: www.hk-awt.de
Free participation at the next IFHTSE World Congress
Young researchers are invited to participate at the IFHTSE World Congress.
The International Federation for Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering (IFHTSE) is dedicated to promoting the international exchange in the field. To this end, the Federation will invite some researchers younger than 35 to participate for free at the IFHTSE World Congress in Cologne in 2026. The Federation will reimburse them for the travel, accommodation, and attendance provided they present a paper in the World Congress.
After the IFHTSE Executive Committee has selected the candidates, they still need to submit an abstract to www.hk-awt.de/vortragsanmeldungen by March 15, 2026.
Once they have presented their papers at the World Congress the Federation, the candidate’s actual costs will be reimbursed upon presentation of the tickets, invoices, etc, within the margin of the travel plan.
