COLOGNE, GERMANY – October 9, 2026 – The 82nd HeatTreatmentCongress (HK), organized by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wärmebehandlung + Werkstofftechnik e.V. (AWT), will be held from October 13 to 15, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, alongside the 31st IFHTSE World Congress, the European Conference on Heat Treatment (ECHT 2026), and the Steel Innovation conference. The combined event is positioned as a leading international gathering for professionals in materials, heat treatment, and surface engineering, with English as the conference language and a program spanning thermochemical treatment, sustainability, digitalization, and steel innovation. For operators, researchers, and industry decision-makers, the congress provides a concentrated platform for evaluating process technologies, simulation tools, and quality-control methods that directly affect production reliability and material performance.
Four Conferences Under One Roof
The 2026 edition brings together four distinct but related conferences, each with its own thematic focus. The HeatTreatmentCongress (HK), now in its 82nd edition, remains the anchor event organized by AWT. The 31st IFHTSE World Congress adds an international research dimension, while ECHT 2026 covers European heat-treatment developments. Steel Innovation addresses steel design, processing, and sustainable steel concepts.
This consolidated structure allows attendees to move between tracks covering thermochemical heat treatment, quenching and distortion, furnace technology, additive manufacturing, and AI-driven process modeling. For industrial buyers and plant managers, the co-location reduces the need to attend multiple separate events to access the full range of heat-treatment and materials-science content.
Program Tracks and Technical Scope
The technical program is organized into parallel sessions across multiple rooms, with tracks dedicated to thermochemical heat treatment, sustainability, aluminum and light alloys, steel innovation, quenching and distortion, simulation and modeling, surface engineering, and quality control.
Thermochemical heat treatment sessions cover carbonitriding, gas nitrocarburizing, plasma nitriding, and low-pressure carburizing. Sustainability tracks address decarbonization strategies, energy scheduling in heat treatment, and carbon-footprint reduction in continuous furnaces. Simulation and modeling sessions examine distortion prediction, phase transformation, and machine-learning applications in tempering. Steel Innovation covers materials engineering, high-strength steels, hydrogen embrittlement, and recycling and re-manufacturing concepts.
A dedicated AI and digitalization track includes a plenary discussion on models and applications of AI tools in materials science and heat treatment. A quality-control track focuses on non-destructive testing methods, including Barkhausen noise analysis and eddy-current signal evaluation.
Operational Themes for Industrial Decision-Makers
Several program elements address operational challenges directly relevant to production environments. Sessions on furnace monitoring, process reproducibility in inductive heat treatment, and energy-efficient vacuum furnaces speak to uptime and cost management. Presentations on quenching oils, gas quenching, and tempering strategies address consumables and process-fluid decisions that affect part quality and throughput.
The sustainability track provides practical content on decarbonizing heat treatment through intelligent energy scheduling and adjusting CO₂ concentration during processing. For operators under pressure to reduce emissions while maintaining metallurgical quality, these sessions offer process-level insight rather than broad policy discussion.
Additive manufacturing sessions examine heat treatment of LPBF-processed aluminum composites, Ti-6Al-4V produced by SLM and EBM, and medium manganese steels. These topics connect heat treatment to the growing industrial adoption of additive processes.
Industry Participation and Exhibition
An accompanying trade fair runs alongside the congress, with exhibitors from heat-treatment equipment, furnace technology, process fluids, and materials testing. The exhibitor directory, hall plan, and stand-construction guidelines are available through the event website. The exhibition is designed to give attendees direct access to suppliers and service providers without separating the commercial exchange from the technical program.
A poster session and poster award provide a channel for research groups and younger researchers to present work. The program also includes dedicated support for young researchers, reflecting the event's role in connecting academic research with industrial application.
Awards, Networking, and Community Functions
The congress incorporates several awards and honorary recognitions. The Adolf-Martens-Medal will be awarded, with a laudation and awardee lecture. The IFHTSE honorary president and vice honorary president will be recognized, and the IFHTSE Medal will be awarded to Sabine Denis. The Karl-Wilhelm-Burgdorf Prize and the Paul-Riebenashm Prize will also be presented, along with the Tom Bell Young Author Award.
A conference gala is scheduled for the evening of October 14, and a visit to the Früh brewery is organized for October 13. These functions provide structured networking opportunities alongside the technical sessions.
Registration and Practical Details
Registration for the congress and trade fair is handled through the ticket shop on the event website. The conference language is English, and the event is planned as a three-day program. An extended abstract is required for the congress, to be published in the event proceedings, with further details and deadlines published on the website. The preliminary program is available online, and the closing ceremony will include announcements for the ECHT/IFHTSE World Congress 2027 and HK 2027.
For companies evaluating heat-treatment technologies, process fluids, simulation software, or quality-control systems, the combined 2026 event offers a consolidated view of available solutions and emerging methods. Registration and program details are available at www.hk-awt.de.