• 1 min reading
  • 2025-07-06

School on S&T Mechanics, Metallurgy & Green Processing – Knowledge Exchange for a Sustainable Future in Foundry Industry – the first school in the project is completed!

From June 30 to July 02, 2025, the Faculty of Foundry Engineering at AGH University of Krakow hosted the School on S&T Mechanics, Metallurgy & Green Processing organized by AGH, CNR & AALTO – a three-day event dedicated to the exchange of knowledge and experience among researchers and experts in the foundry industry from Poland, Italy and Finland. The event formed a key component of the NetCastPL4.0 project, whose principal aim is to strengthen collaboration and facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and industry.

This year’s edition focused on modern, low-emission casting technologies aligned with the principles of sustainable development – known as Green Casting. Participants explored the full spectrum of thin-walled casting production processes: from production planning and materials selection, through numerical simulations, to quality assessment and environmentally responsible product disposal. The programme began with fundamental topics to level participants’ understanding, and continuing with advanced content delivered in the subsequent sessions.

The school was addressed to PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, early-career scientists, and experts from Project Partner’s institutions.

Among the invited speakers were:

  • Franco Bonollo (University of Padua, Italy)
  • Maurizio Vedani (Politecnico di Milano, Italy)
  • Kalle Jalava & Nurul Anwar (Aalto University, Finland)
  • Giuliano Angella & Riccardo Donnini (CNR-ICMATE, Italy)
  • Katarzyna Major-Gabryś, Łukasz Madej & Paweł Żak (AGH University of Krakow, Poland)
  • Juhani Orkas (Association of Finnish Foundry Industry, Finland)
  • Riccardo Zanardi (Zanardi Fonderie S.p.A., Italy)
  • Pekka Kemppainen (Meehanite, Finland)
  • Matti Niemi (Novacast Oy, Finland)

In addition to lectures and presentations of cutting-edge technological solutions, the event featured a panel discussion. Participants addressed key challenges facing the European foundry sector, including the impact of the European Green Deal on production processes and the importance of equipping the next generation of engineers with the necessary skills to meet the demands of modern industry. This dialogue constituted a vital step towards developing future-proof competences within the casting sector.