Mechanical Surface Characterization Seminar
Mechanical Surface Characterization Seminar
November 5 to November 7, 2025 | Graz, Austria
The second edition of the Mechanical Surface Characterization Seminar will take place from November 5 to November 7, 2025, in Graz, Austria.
The seminar offers an excellent opportunity to explore new trends and applications in mechanical surface characterization. It brings together international experts with a focus on nanoindentation, tribology, and scratch testing. Anton Paar TriTec experts will also be present, offering the opportunity to learn more about our instruments and the latest developments.
You’ll also be able to attend talks on a range of topics, including:
- Nanomechanical characterization of materials
- Innovative data analysis methods
- Measurement of deformations and stresses
- Time-dependent properties across various materials
- Tribological and wear studies
- Coating adhesion and scratch resistance testing
You are warmly invited to submit an abstract. If you would like to give a talk, download the abstract template here and submit it through the registration form. Contributions are welcome on all material types, including metals, ceramics, composites, polymers, hydrogels, biological materials, and more.
Speaker guidelines
- Regular talk: 20 minutes + 5 minutes for questions
- Invited speaker: 40 minutes + 5 minutes for questions
Program
Mechanical Surface Characterization Seminar: November 5-7, 2025
The MSC Seminar and short courses will take place at the headquarters of Anton Paar GmbH, Anton Paar Strasse 20, 8054 Graz, Austria.
| Wednesday November 5, 2025 | Thursday November 6, 2025 | Friday November 7, 2025 | ||
| Morning | Short courses | MSC Seminar morning session |
MSC Seminar morning session Farewell |
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| Lunch break | Optional lunch break | |||
| Afternoon | Registration MSC Seminar afternoon session |
MSC Seminar afternoon session |
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| Evening | Welcome drink | Social event and dinner |
Nanoindentation, scratch and tribology short courses, November 5, 2025
On November 5, 2025, three parallel half-day short courses on nanoindentation, scratch testing, and tribology will be offered for students, engineers, and technicians interested in these surface mechanical characterization techniques. This is a valuable opportunity to learn about the practical applications of these methods and gain fundamental knowledge in the field. Each course will include a combination of theoretical presentations and hands-on sessions, conducted in English. The courses will be held at the same venue as the MSC Seminar in the morning, with lunch included.
Short course on tribology
(fully booked)
The short course on tribology will highlight the benefits of pin-on-disk friction and wear testing. It will include both a theoretical overview and a practical hands-on session.
Short course on nanoindentation
(fully booked)
The short course will cover the theoretical foundations, practical considerations, and application examples of nanoindentation for measuring the hardness and elastic properties of thin films and small volumes. A hands-on session will showcase best practices for conducting measurements on various materials.
Short course on scratch testing
(fully booked)
The short course will introduce the scratch testing method for evaluating the adhesion of both hard and soft coatings. Participants will learn about the method’s principles and how to analyze results, with a hands-on session demonstrating the technique on various samples.
Invited Speakers
Philippe Zysset
Professor at the University of Bern (Switzerland)
Topic: Climbing the multiscale ladder of bone mechanics from the bench to the bedside
Philippe Zysset is a professor of biomechanics at the University of Bern, leading the musculoskeletal biomechanics group at the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research. He earned his MSc in engineering physics and PhD in biomechanics from EPFL, and then occupied academic and research roles in Switzerland, the US, and Austria. His research focuses on the mechanical properties of biological tissues and patient-specific musculoskeletal simulations, with over 200 scientific publications. Additionally, he directs the Master's Program in Biomedical Engineering and serves on editorial boards and advisory panels for leading journals in biomechanics.
Marc Masen
Professor at Imperial College London (United Kingdom)
Topic: Mecho-chemical characterisation of skin: skin adaptation and prosthetic use
Marc Masen received his MSc and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Twente, The Netherlands. Following his PhD, he worked at the R&D centre of Hydro Aluminium with a focus on investigating the surface quality of aluminium extrusions. In 2006 he returned to Twente as a lecturer, initiating research into biotribology. In 2013 he joined Imperial College. Marc's main areas of research are: Tribology of Human Tissue; Tribology of Elastomers and Polymers; Wear Prevention and Wear Mechanisms; Tribometer Development.
Astrid Gies
Project Manager R&D Automotive at Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG, Balzers (Liechtenstein)
Topic: Deposition and characterization of MoN-based coatings for tribological applications
Dr. Astrid Gies has ~20 years of experience in surface coatings and tribology, and is currently working as an R&D Project Manager at Oerlikon Balzers, specializing in automotive applications. Her work in the last two decades has focused on developing and optimizing advanced coatings, including diamond-like carbon (DLC) and molybdenum nitride (MoN) coatings, which have been recognized with prestigious industry awards. She has also contributed to innovative technologies like smart coatings, which enable real-time monitoring of automotive components, reinforcing her role in advancing surface engineering solutions.
Christophe Tromas
Professor at the University of Poitiers (France)
Topic: Several applications of nanoindentation in the study of materials: from local mechanical properties in metallic nanocomposites to small-scale plasticity mechanisms in MAX phases
Christophe Tromas has been working in the field of nanoindentation for almost 30 years. His research focuses on the study of small-scale plasticity mechanisms through nanomechanical testing and advanced microscopy techniques. He is also interested in the determination of local mechanical properties of nanocomposites and heterogeneous materials. He is a Professor at the University of Poitiers (France) and conducts his research at the Institute Pprime.
Speaker Lineup
Novel approach for scratch analysis of ductile metallic layers on fragile substrates
Mohammad Arab Pour Yazdi
Anton Paar TriTec (CH)
Surface resistance of epoxy/PVB composite coatings modified with graphite and tungsten disulfide nanoparticles
Danica Bajić
Military Technical Institute, Belgrade (RS)
Comparison of the tribological behavior of Stellite 6 and Stellite 21 coatings deposited by HVOF and Cold Spray technologies
Martin Berka
Research and testing institute Plzen (CZ)
FilmDoctor® goes Anton Paar - 1 click analysis
Nick Bierwisch
Saxonian Institute of Surface Mechanics (DE)
Influence of heat and thermochemical treatments on tribological properties of 3D printed tool steels
Vojtěch Bílek
University of West Bohemia (CZ)
Comparable hardness measurement of thin coatings using Nanoindentation – Opportunities and hurdles
Michael Brandmair
Tenneco (DE)
The Complexity of Biological Tissues: A Multitechnique Mechanical Study on Pancreatic Tissues
Arianna Callera
Politecnico di Milano and IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital (IT)
Pseudoelasticity of NiTi Alloys Studied by Nanoindentation
Jaroslav Čech
Czech Technical University in Prague (CZ)
Applications of iterated linearization for nonlinear errors-in-variable regression to the calibration of the tip area function
Anna Charvátová Campbell
Czech Metrology Institute (CZ)
Advanced Surface Characterization of Li-Ion Battery Components
Petra Christöfl
Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH (AT)
Sensing Particles Below the Surface
Megan J. Cordill
Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science (AT)
Scratching the Surface of Digital Twins: Process - Property Relationships in Titanium-Based Arc PVD Coatings for Medical Applications
Henry Dempwolf
DOT GmbH (DE)
Mechanical Characterization and Parametric Optimization of LWIR Hard Coatings
Alper Haliloglu
Aselsan (TR)
Effect of temperature and strain rate on indentation size effect at shallow indentation depths
Petr Haušild
Czech Technical University in Prague (CZ)
Impact and Wear Resistance of HVOF-Sprayed WC–Cr₃C₂–Metal Matrix Coatings
Šárka Houdková
Research and Testing Institute Plzeň (CZ)
Tribological performance of friction reducing composite coatings on engineering thermoplastics by thermal plasma spraying
Dietmar Kopp
JOANNEUM RESEARCH (AT)
Influence of Combined Femtosecond Laser Texturing and DC Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Tool Steel
Michal Krafka
Technical University of Liberec (CZ)
Effect of surface treatment on the wear resistance of AISI 304 stainless steel
Andrij Krasij
Research and testing institute Plzen (CZ)
Zr-Based Thin Layers Containing W and Bi Elements Deposited by DC Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering
Anna Krobotová
Technical University of Liberec (CZ)
Scratch Tests Analysis in Thin Films under Varying Thickness Conditions
Zineb Lakhlioui
Université de Lille (FR)
Biomechanical Assessment of UVA Corneal Crosslinking Effects: A Combined Optical Coherence Elastography and Nanoindentation Study
Robert Lohmüller
University of Freiburg (DE)
Traceable measurement of nano-coating thickness by nanoindentation
Giacomo Maculotti
Politecnico di Torino (IT)
Micro-Indentation Assessment of the Impact of Temperature and Relative Humidity Conditions on Cement Paste Visco-Elastic Properties
Camille Martin--Cavaillé
Université de Toulouse (FR)
Micro- and nano-mechanical properties and high-temperature wear behaviour of High-Entropy Hardmetal coatings deposited by HVOF
Lorenzo Miconi
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
Separation of humidity, strain rate and temperature effect on the micromechanical properties of cortical ovine bone
Christian Minnert
Empa (CH)
Tribological performance and mechanical properties of AlTiN coatings with various Al:Ti ratios
Jiri Nohava
Anton Paar TriTec (CH)
WC–FeCrNi Hardmetal Coatings as a Cobalt-Free Alternative to WC–CoCr: Mechanical and Wear Properties
Cosimo Ricci
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
Rheology and Tribology of Slurries – From Flow Curves to Stribeck Curves
Paul Staudinger
Anton Paar GmbH (AT)
Near-Atomic Scale Solute Cluster–Dislocation Interactions Revealed by Micropillar Compression in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloys
Hyokyung Sung
Kookmin University (KR)
Material and Tribological Characterization of Rice Grains
Alejandro Velázquez
EPFL (CH)
Evaluating Thin Film Coatings Through Combined X-Ray Reflectometry and Thermo-Mechanical Testing
Bernhard Völker
Anton Paar GmbH (AT)
Tip sharpness effect on strain localization during nanoindentation
Stanislav Zak
Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science (AT)
Registration
The MSC Seminar is for experts in the field of mechanical surface characterization, focusing on nanoindentation, tribology, and scratch testing and using the Anton Paar TriTec range of measuring instruments – as well as for anyone else interested in these technologies and applications.
Participation fees
- MSC Seminar: 180 €
- Short courses: 90 €
- Short course and MSC Seminar: 250 €
(All short courses are fully booked.)
For presenters, 80 € will be deducted.
You will receive an invoice by email after your registration.
Deadlines and important dates
Abstract submission: September 14, 2025
End of registration: October 10, 2025
For late registration requests, please contact us at events.tritec[at]anton-paar.com.
Previous MSC Seminar, 2023
Invited Speakers
Prof. Petr Haušild
Czech Technical University (CZ)
Statistical treatment of grid indentation on multiphase materials considering the influence of the interface between phases
Prof. Marc Fivel
SIMaP - Grenoble INP (FR)
Scratch and indentation tests on different metallic glasses
Prof. Giovanni Bolelli
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
Tribological performance and mechanical properties of new wear resistant thermally sprayed coatings
Martin Zawischa
Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS (DE)
Evaluation of damage tolerance and adhesion of super-hard coatings by means of scratch and indentation tests
