News

The 41st National Conference of the Italian Association for Metallurgy (AIM) took place in Brescia from 9 to 11 September 2026, hosted by the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering of the University of Brescia and coordinated by Prof. Annalisa Pola. This was a particularly significant edition, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of AIM's foundation (1946-2026): under the title "The future between research and innovation", it brought together more than 200 technical and scientific papers across five parallel rooms, alongside a large exhibition area dedicated to companies in the sector.

The Metallurgy group of the University of Ferrara, together with the "Aldo Daccò" Corrosion and Metallurgy Study Centre, contributed eight oral presentations, as well as session chairing duties and membership of the Scientific Committee.

Presentations

Wednesday 9 September

F. Gallo: Corrosion behaviour of the Ti21S alloy in simulated body fluids ("Aldo Daccò" Corrosion and Metallurgy Study Centre — Heat Treatments and Metallography session)

W. Javaid: Impact of local defects on the mechanical behaviour of large aluminium alloy castings (Mega-Castings) (Light and Non-Ferrous Metals session)

L. Antonioli: Optimisation of T6 heat treatment parameters for a secondary Al-Si-Cu-Mg foundry alloy: microstructural and mechanical characterisation (Light and Non-Ferrous Metals session)

Thursday 10 September

D. Maghini: High-temperature characterisation and numerical modelling of plastic deformation processes of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy: a comparison of flow curve correction methods (Forging and Hot Plastic Deformation session)

M. Merlin: Optimisation of the fatigue properties of L-PBF AlSi10Mg alloy through an integrated HIP and T6 post-process (Powder Metallurgy session)

L. Antonioli : Effect of solution treatment parameters on the microstructure and impact properties of a secondary aluminium alloy (Foundry session)

A. Fortini: Hardfacings in nanostructured bainitic steel: a study of erosive wear resistance (Coatings and Tribology session)

M. Gragnanini: Tribological behaviour of electroless binary Ni–Co coatings as a function of cobalt content (Coatings and Tribology session)

Session chairs and Scientific Committee

Ferrara's contribution went beyond the papers themselves. Annalisa Fortini chaired both the Light and Non-Ferrous Metals (1) and (2) sessions, Mattia Merlin chaired Heat Treatments and Metallography (5), and Gian Luca Garagnani, a member of the conference Scientific Committee for the History of Metallurgy area, chaired the corresponding session.

Awards

At the close of the conference, two awards went to the Ferrara group: Davide Maghini and Francesca Gallo ("Aldo Daccò" Corrosion and Metallurgy Study Centre) received the prizes for the best presentations in their respective sessions. A result that rewards the work of the whole group and confirms the vitality of metallurgical and corrosion research in Ferrara.

On June 8, 2026, the University of Ferrara hosted the final event of the ALERT project (“Leghe di ALluminio per componenti soggetti a fatica E fretting: Rivestimenti e Trattamenti superficiali integrati”). Funded by the PR-FESR EMILIA ROMAGNA 2021-2027 program, the project featured the active involvement of the IN4Hub laboratory, with the participation of a research unit led by Prof. Mattia Merlin of the Ferrara Metallurgy Group.

The event proved to be an excellent opportunity for dialogue between academia and industry, highlighting the strategic value of collaboration in fostering technology transfer for designing innovative and high-performance materials, with a specific focus on the aeronautical and aerospace sectors.

The success of ALERT is the result of a powerful synergy between research and industry. The project brought together the collaboration of:

• DTM Srl (Project Coordinator)

• IN4Hub Laboratory – University of Ferrara

• INTERMECH MO.RE. – University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

• CIRIMAM – University of Bologna

• Il Sentiero International Campus

• Peen Service Srl and Curti SpA (Associated companies)

Following the opening institutional remarks by Dr. Massimo Cinini (Tecnopolo di Ferrara), Dr. Lorenzo Calabri (Art-ER), Dr. Federico Capucci (Clust-ER MECH), and Dr. Marco Cavazzuti (DTM Srl), the main scientific and technological milestones achieved were highlighted through four key presentations delivered by Eng. Samantha Roggiani, Prof. Mattia Merlin, Prof. Carla Martini, and Eng. Carlo Calderoni. Attendees had also the opportunity to visit the laboratories of IN4Hub and of the Department of Engineering, including a guided tour of the Anechoic Chamber and LUCE led by Prof. Patrizio Fausti and Prof. Gaetano Bellanca, respectively.

Special thanks go to the entire team within the IN4Hub laboratory who actively contributed to the research activities, in particular Prof. Mattia Merlin, Dr. Cindy Morales, Prof. Denis Benasciutti, Eng. Davide Maghini, Eng. Federico Bin, and Prof. Gian Luca Garagnani.

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Angela Princi and Gloria Occhiali from Tecnopolo di Ferrara for their invaluable and fundamental organizational support.

The Ferrara Metallurgy Group is pleased to announce an important international research collaboration involving our PhD student, Davide Maghini, under the academic supervision of the Prof. Mattia Merlin. Starting in May 2026, Davide will spend a six-month period at the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg in Germany. He will be hosted by the Chair of Hybrid Manufacturing, headed by Professor Sebastian Härtel.

During his stay, Davide will conduct hot compression tests on alloys of strategic interest for the aerospace sector - specifically Ti6Al4V and IN718 - to determine flow stress curves and investigate the recrystallisation kinetics of these materials. This activity is a core part of Davide's PhD project, carried out in close collaboration with FOMAS Group — a leading multinational company in the production of forgings.  The ultimate goal is to enhance the predictive accuracy of Finite Element Method (FEM) numerical simulations applied directly to industrial hot bulk plastic deformation processes.

This research period at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg stems from a well-established scientific relationship and mutual esteem between Professor Mattia Merlin and Prof. Sebastian Härtel, leveraging the host group's renowned expertise in the high-temperature characterization of metallic materials.

The entire Ferrara Metallurgy Group wishes Davide a highly productive stay, full of scientific inspiration and success for his research activities. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the members of the BTU Panta Rhei team for this valuable collaboration opportunity. 

On 20 May 2026, students from the Metallography and Failure Analysis course, taught by Professor Annalisa Fortini as part of the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Mechanical Engineering, took part in an educational visit to the Draxton plant in Rovigo.

The visit gave the students the opportunity to observe first-hand the industrial processes involved in the production of cast iron components, turning the concepts learned in the classroom into practical knowledge and skills. For our students, it was also a valuable opportunity for professional growth and career guidance.

We would like to thank Quality Manager Maurizio Rocatello and all the staff at Draxton Rovigo for their warm welcome, kindness, and outstanding professionalism in guiding our delegation throughout the visit.

On the morning of Wednesday, 20 May 2026, students from the Master’s Degree Programme in Mechanical Engineering attending the course Surface Treatments and Coatings of Metallic Alloys, taught by Professor Mattia Merlin, took part in a technical visit to Norblast Srl and Peen Service Srl in Bologna.

Norblast is a leading company in the design and manufacture of industrial machines and systems for sandblasting, shot blasting, and shot peening of metallic materials. The company works in close synergy with Peen Service, which specialises in the design, R&D, and subcontract application of controlled shot peening surface treatments.

The visit began with an engaging seminar on controlled shot peening delivered by Eng. Marco Loberti, who earned his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from our University with an experimental thesis in metallurgy and is currently Production Engineer at Peen Service. The students had the opportunity to explore the principles and potential of this surface treatment, which is essential for significantly improving the fatigue strength of metallic components.

Following the theoretical session, the students visited Norblast’s production department and its testing laboratory, where machine acceptance and verification tests are carried out. The group then moved to Peen Service’s facilities, where the students observed at first hand how shot peening treatments are performed, as well as how the compressive residual stresses induced by the treatment are measured and controlled in order to meet the stringent standards of a wide range of industrial sectors, from automotive and motorsport to aerospace and biomedical applications.

We would like to thank Cav. Remo Norelli, President of Norblast and Peen Service, Eng. Michele Bandini, General Manager of Peen Service, Eng. Riccardo Santini, and Eng. Marco Loberti for their kind hospitality and for sharing their technical expertise and passion with our students during the visit.

On Monday, 4 May 2026, as part of the Metallurgy 2 course, our students, accompanied by Prof. Annalisa Fortini, had the opportunity to visit the Pasello Trattamenti Termici plant in Calderara di Reno.

Experiencing the industrial environment firsthand is essential to complement academic training. During the visit, the students were able to closely observe atmosphere and vacuum heat treatment furnaces, quenching, carburizing and quench-and-temper processes, as well as quality control systems and metallographic analysis.

Special thanks to Pasello for their hospitality and for sharing with the future engineers of the University of Ferrara the innovation and expertise that characterize this sector of excellence in our region.