JTH organizes world-unique cast iron course
Participants in the eighth edition of the world unique cast iron course at JTH.
Every two years, since 2011, JTH has organized the international cast iron course. On 12-16 May, it is time for the eighth edition when doctoral students and professionals from both Sweden and other countries gather to take part in the latest on cast iron.
“The course is unique in the world in this field,” says Attila Dioszegi, Professor of Foundry Technology at the Department of Materials and Manufacturing at JTH, and one of the organizers of the course.
Over the years, more than 300 people from world-leading companies manufacturing and using cast iron components and doctoral students from universities conducting cast iron research have participated in the course, which covers topics such as metallurgy, solidification, and modelling of castings.
This year's edition brings together some fifteen participants from both industry and academia from countries including Germany, Finland, Norway and Saudi Arabia.
“The fact that we have participants from Saudi Arabia is new this year. We have never had anyone from so far away before,” says Vasile-Lucian Diaconu, Assistant Professor at JTH, who organized the course together with Attila Dioszegi.
Abdullah Abu Madaynj Amiantit, quality manager at the company Sadip in Saudi Arabia, has been waiting almost five years to take the course. He says that for various reasons it has not been possible before.
“This year, the chance to attend the course finally came. My colleague and I come from one of the oldest companies in Saudi Arabia. The course is important for us to learn more about the latest technology in iron casting,” says Abdullah.
Dinesh Sundaram, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Materials and Manufacturing at JTH, was one of the teachers on the course.
An interactive course
From JTH's side, Vasile-Lucian Diaconu and Attila Dioszegi have been responsible for organizing the five training days and after the first day, their impression is that the participants are inquisitive and curious.
“In the course we review the latest developments. It is an interactive course where participants and teachers have the chance to interact with each other. I have been involved in organizing the course since the beginning and we are continuously developing the content. Something new happens every year,” says Vasile-Lucian Diaconu.
Vasile thinks that the course is a good opportunity for the doctoral students to get to know both other doctoral students and to socialize with the participating companies and teachers.
The course focuses on cast iron because it is one of the most common materials used in cast moulds.
“Cast iron has been a major part of our civilization since the Iron Age and remains so today. It is also one of the few engineering alloys that is 100 per cent recyclable, making it a highly sustainable material. In Sweden, Volvo and Scania are two major users of cast iron and have supported JTH's research for many years,” says Attila Dioszegi.
