Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTSProgram
Please find here the ISPA 2026 program. Please note, changes are still possible.
Events
September 16, 2026
Industrial workshop, hosted by CTS Corporation
For more information on topics please read here.
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 12:30–13:00 | Registration |
| 13:00–13:15 | Welcome, short introduction to CTS products and capabilities Jason Nikkel, CTS Corporation, Denmark |
| 13:15–14:00 | Basic concepts, application examples, FEM Erling Ringgaard, CTS Corporation, Denmark |
| 14:00–14:30 | Coffee break |
| 14:30–15:15 | Update on RoHS and lead-free materials Jason Nikkel, CTS Corporation, Denmark |
| 15:15–16:00 | Choice of technology and materials for applications Erling Ringgaard, CTS Corporation, Denmark |
| 16:00–16:30 | Coffee break |
| 16:30–17:15 | Future materials, giant electrostriction, textured lead free Erling Ringgaard and Jason Nikkel, CTS Corporation, Denmark |
| 17:15–17:30 | AI and machine learning assisted materials development Erling Ringgaard, CTS Corporation, Denmark |
| 17:30–18:45 | IKTS Lab tour |
| 18:45–21:00 | Get together & Exhibition |
September 17, 2026
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 8:00–8:30 | Registration |
| 8:30–8:45 | Welcome & ISPA Introduction Holger Neubert, Fraunhofer IKTS and Thomas Daue, Smart Material GmbH, Germany/USA |
| 8:45–9:00 | Welcome Remarks Uwe Lienig, Saxony Trade & Invest Corp. (Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH) |
| Keynote | |
| 9:00–9:30 | The P.A.S.S. System for De-Icing of Composite Aircrafts and Drones John Geriguis, Joby Aviation, USA |
| Session 1: Subsea 1 | |
| 9:30–10:00 | MFC Actuators for Biomimetic Underwater Robotics: Toward Understanding Fish Swimming and Biomimetic Locomotion Shokoofeh Abbaszadeh, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany |
| 10:00–10:30 | Self-Powered, Underwater Acoustic Transmitter for Fish Tracking Thomas Daue, Smart Material Corp., USA |
| 10:30–11:15 | Break & Exhibition |
| Session 2: Subsea 2 | |
| 11:15–11:45 | Transition from PZT to Lead-Free Materials for SONAR Transducers Stephan Rautenberg, TKMS Atlas Elektronik GmbH, Germany |
| 11:45–12:15 | Textured Lead-Free Piezoceramics (Templates, Multilayers, Fibers, Composites) Sylvia Gebhardt, Fraunhofer IKTS, Germany |
| 12:15–12:45 | Application of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) in harsh environments – Strategies for Enhanced Sensitivity Bianca Weihnacht, Fraunhofer IKTS, Germany |
| 12:45–14:00 | Break & Exhibition |
| Session 3: Materials 1 (lead-free, texturing, single crystal) | |
| 14:00–14:30 | Scaling Considerations for Additive Manufacturing of Textured Piezo-Ceramics for Acoustic Transduction M.A. Fanton, Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| 14:30–15:00 | Effect of ZnO Submicron Spheres on SPS-Processed PZT Ceramics AKM Asif Iqbal, Saint Louis University Madrid, Spain |
| 15:00–15:30 | Processing of [001] Fiber-Textured PMN-PZT Ceramics for Piezoelectric Sensors Beecher H. Watson, Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| 15:30–16:30 | Break & Poster Session |
| Session 4: Materials 2 (composites) | |
| 16:30–17:00 | Tailoring Electroacoustic Properties of 1-3 Piezocomposites by Chemical Modification and Texture Development Sedat Alkoy, STEM Sensor Technologies and Electronic Materials Ltd., Turkey |
| 17:00–17:30 | New Piezoceramic Composites for Focus Transducer Applications Ayoub Bahba, PI Ceramic GmbH, Germany |
| 17:30–18:00 | Lead-free vs. Lead-based Piezoelectric Transducers for Aerospace SHM: An Experimental Comparison under Thermal Variation Shankar Galiana, DLR Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Germany |
| 19:30–22:30 | Conference Dinner at Dresden city |
September 18, 2026
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| Session 5: Medical Ultrasonics and Sensors | |
| 9:00–9:30 | Single-Crystal Piezocomposites as Broadband Transmitters for Multistatic Medical Ultrasonic Imaging Tönnis Trittler, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Germany |
| 9:30–10:00 | Lead-free Piezo Ceramic in Ultrasonic Devices Tanja Einhellinger-Müller, CeramTec GmbH, Germany |
| 10:00–10:30 | From Piezoelectric Element to Transducer Performance: Practical Characterization for Medical Ultrasound Applications Elyas Mirzaee, GAMPT mbH, Germany |
| 10:30–11:15 | Break & Exhibition |
| Session 6: Electromechanical, NDT, SHM, Future Developments | |
| 11:15–11:45 | Ultrasonic Probes for Non-Destructive Testing Without Lead-Based Piezoceramics? Darvin Helfgen, SONOTEC GmbH, Germany |
| 11:45–12:15 | Humanoid Robotics – an Overview on Sensor- and Acoustic Challenges and Opportunities Holger Kunze, Fraunhofer IWU, Germany |
| Closing remarks | |
| 12:15–12:45 | Progress Concerning Piezoelectric 1-3 Composites Andreas Schönecker, Smart Material GmbH, Germany, USA |
| 12:45–13:00 | Closing Remarks Holger Neubert, Fraunhofer IKTS, Germany |
| 13:00–13:45 | Break & Farewell |