Conferences and Events
The 2018 International Forum on Materials and Testing was held at the China National Convention Center from October 16 to 18, 2018. The forum is a joint session of the 5th International Forum on Materials and Testing (IFTM’2018), hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE); the 6th China Proficiency Testing Forum (6th PT), hosted by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS); and the 19th International Conference on the Analysis and Testing of Metallurgical Process and Materials (ICASI’2018 & CCATM’2018), jointly hosted by the International Committee of Analysis for Steel Industry (ICASI) and the Analysis and Testing Committee of the Chinese Society for Metals. The meeting was jointly organized by the Chemical, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering Division of the CAE, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute Group, China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM), China Union of Proficiency Testing, and NCS Testing Technology Co., Ltd.
The theme of the conference was “Innovation and Standardization of Materials and Testing Technologies and High-Quality Development of the Materials Industry Facilitated by Laboratory Proficiency Testing.” The forum received a lot of attention from scholars and practitioners in the fields of standardization, materials science, testing, and proficiency testing. Twenty-one foreign experts from 12 countries (including the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Belgium, Spain, Australia, France, and Finland), 23 Chinese academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and more than 700 domestic experts and scholars attended the conference. The meeting focused on specific topics such as the “reform of standards in the manufacturing industry,” “research on innovation and standardization of materials and genetic engineering, and advanced materials and testing technology,” “long-term structural stability and equipment reliability of 9% Cr heat-resistant steels that are widely used in ultra-supercritical thermal power and chemical plants,” “frontier technology for steel material analysis and testing,” “laboratory proficiency testing,” “scientific laboratory accreditation,” and “development of the association standards system for materials and testing in China.” Nineteen sub-forums were set up to facilitate the international academic exchange, and discussions were held on the corresponding topics. Specifically, 14 simultaneous sub-forums were held on October 17, and five simultaneous sub-forums were held on October 18.
A total of 216 academic papers in relevant fields were exchanged at the forum, and another 164 academic papers were submitted to the organization committee. All papers were compiled into a booklet and published as a supplementary issue of Metallurgical Analysis. Twenty-five outstanding papers were selected by the forum based on their advancement, innovation, and practicality of the research content, as well as the viewpoints of the corresponding experts. The selected papers were recommended to the CAE to be published in Engineering. In addition, 26 domestic and foreign manufacturers, such as Agilent Technologies, Shimadzu Corp., and Gangyan Nake Detection Technology Limited Company, were invited to the forum. Four media organizations published corresponding online news and reports about the forum. The China Knowledge Center for Engineering Sciences and Technology also conducted a live broadcast of the joint conference on October 16 on their website.
The forum facilitated cooperation between China and other countries in the fields of materials and testing standardization, and it achieved mutual benefits and common development for all parties. More than a thousand experts, scholars, and technicians in related fields from home and abroad thoroughly discussed the frontiers and focus of the development of new materials and technologies, development and application of corresponding standards, and construction of quality-control infrastructure. The joint efforts of experts provided new directions and ideas for the future development of materials, testing technologies, and standardization systems.