Plenary speakers

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Bernd-Robert Höhn, Technical University of  Munich, School of Engineering and Design, Chair of Machine Elements (Prof. Stahl)

RESEARCH AT FZG 

Bernd-Robert Höhn’s field of work is mechanical drive technology, with a focus on gearboxes and gears. His goal has always been to further develop the established core areas of mechanical drive technology through both fundamental research and application-oriented studies, particularly in the development of continuously variable transmissions and mechatronic drive systems such as hybrid drives for vehicles. Within the framework of Collaborative Research Center 365 of the German Research Foundation, a vehicle with a hybrid drive aimed at reducing fuel consumption was built and tested under his leadership. Bernd-Robert Höhn focused his work on identifying potential energy savings and implementing them through holistic approaches by optimizing the efficiency of the entire drive train—potentials that cannot be realized when considering individual components such as the gearbox or internal combustion engine alone. With a team of more than 50 researchers at times, he was very successful in securing third-party funding in this field. He organized and led numerous scientific conferences in the field of drive technology and has been actively involved with the Association of German Engineers (VDI) for over 30 years. He is a member of numerous technical and scientific societies and holds leading positions in standardization activities worldwide. With his pioneering work in gear technology, he has earned high recognition nationally and internationally as a researcher and engineer.

Prof. dr Dražan Kozak, University of Slavonski Brod, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering 

EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF HSS WELDED JOINTS FRACTURE BEHAVIOR

Full Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, University of Slavonski Brod, Croatia, and Rector’s Assistant for quality assurance there. He has held various academic leadership roles, including Vice-Rector for education at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek (2017-2020), Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty (2009-2013), and Vice-Dean for science (2005-2009). He finished his MSc (1995) and PhD (2001) in mechanical engineering and construction design from the University of Zagreb. He teaches courses in mechanics, structural optimization, fracture mechanics, and more, and he is the author of 7 university books. His research focuses on structural integrity, health monitoring, and biomechanical applications, with over 140 publications and an H-index of 17. He leads international and EU-funded projects and serves on several editorial boards. Kozak is an honorary professor at GAMF Kecskemét, Hungary, and guest professor at multiple universities worldwide. He is the president of the TEAM International Society and ESIS Croatia, and co-owner of a patented monitoring system.

Prof. dr Damjan Klobčar, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

ENHANCING THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF DIRECTED ENERGY DEPOSITION (DED) VIA PROCESSING INNOVATIONS

Associate professor at the Department of Materials Technology at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. He is the head of the Laboratory of Welding and Joining. He teaches the subjects: “Welding and Joining Techniques”, “Weldability of Materials”, “Additive Manufacturing of Metals” and “Materials and Welding”. His research interests include various welding and joining technologies (FSW – Friction stir welding, TIG welding, MIG / MAG welding, laser welding, ultrasonic welding of metals and polymers, robotic welding, brazing, and soldering, adhesive bonding), weldability of materials, additive manufacturing, arc additive manufacturing, welding process monitoring, and advanced characterization of materials and welds. Based on the research topics, he is involved in repair welding of industrial tooling, development of joining technologies for production of e.g. heat exchangers, battery systems, electrical contacts, development of arc additive manufacturing technology and assembly of sensors and devices using ultrasonic welding. He is a co-leader of the Vanguard Initiative’s 3DP Pilot demo case Innovative hybrid (subtractive/additive) manufacturing processes for repairing added value damaged objects.

Prof. dr Jasmin Kaljun, University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

FROM CONCEPT TO CREATION: LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MECHANICAL DESIGN AND IDEATION

Assistant professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor. He graduated from this faculty in 2002 with a degree in Engineering Design. In 2008, he received the degree of Master of Technical Sciences and in 2011 the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences. He joined the faculty in 2003, where he is a staff member of the Laboratory for Integrated product development and CAD, and works closely with the Laboratory for Product Design. His research and pedagogical work is mainly related to the implementation of different creative forms of design or product development using ergonomic and aesthetic systems for computer-aided design – construction. He also focuses on the implementation of advanced reverse engineering technologies, such as spatial digitization, virtual measurement analysis and the creation of CAD models based on scans, in the process of engineering design. From 2016, he has mentored in eleven “Creative Path to Knowledge“ and “Students Innovative Projects for the Benefit of Society” projects, the content of which was closely related to user-centred product development. His bibliographic opus consists of more than 270 bibliographical units, omong other 18 original scientific papers and more than 25 conference papers.

Prof. dr Franco Concli, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of Engineering

He was born in Bolzano, Italy, on May 21, 1985. He received his Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2009 at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He developed his MD thesis about structural damages of helicopter gearboxes (Agusta-Westland). He graduated Ph.D. (European Label, with merit) on March 27, 2013 at Politecnico di Milano. The title of his Ph.D. thesis is “Efficiency of gear transmissions and CFD analysis of load independent power losses”. In 2012 he had a research fellowship at the FZG Dept. of the TU Munich and in 2013 a Post. Doc. position at the mechanical department of Politecnico di Milano (ENI). His research fields include the development of CFD tools for the prediction of power losses, thermal regimes and efficiency of gearboxes and FEM modeling. He is worked as senior mechanical design engineer at Bonfiglioli Mechatronic Research in Rovereto. To date is ass. professor at the Engineering Faculty of the Free university of Bolzano/Bozen. He has been invited as a visiting researcher at institutions such as Brno University of Technology (Czech Republic) and Ohio State University (USA). In the recent years, besides being included for 3 consecutive years in the Stanford 2% top Scientists list, in he recent years he was awarded with the WMMES 2021 Best Paper Award, with the ISIEA 2023 Best Paper Award, with the Applied Sciences Early Career Investigation Award 2023, with the American Gear Manufacturer Association Best Presentation Award 2024 and with the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Captain Alfred E. Hunt Memorial Award 2025. He has authored over 170 scientific publications and is the inventor of a patented high-reduction gearbox design (Nested).

Prof. dr Lorenzo Maccioni, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of Engineering

He obtained his M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering with honors from the University of Florence in 2016, and completed his Ph.D. in Sustainable Energy and Technologies in 2020 at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, with part of his doctoral research conducted at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Since 2020, he has held a position as Assistant Professor (RTD-A) at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. His research primarily focuses on the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to investigate lubricated mechanical systems, with emphasis on capturing specific physical effects such as oil aeration and the non-Newtonian behavior of greases. He has contributed to both industry-funded and European research projects addressing lubrication in bearings and the tribological performance of gearboxes. His broader interests span bearing technologies, high power-density transmissions—including cycloidal and planetary gear systems—gear design, sustainable engineering, and the characterization of advanced materials. He has been invited as a visiting researcher at institutions such as Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) and Brno University of Technology (Czech Republic), where he conducted experimental work including Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) on tapered roller bearings and flow measurements on hydrostatic bearings. Lorenzo Maccioni has authored over 65 scientific publications, participated in more than 20 international conferences, and is the inventor of a patented high-reduction gearbox design (Nested). In 2023, he obtained the Italian National Scientific Qualification (ASN) as Associate Professor. He currently lectures in Machine Design for the B.Sc. program at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.

Prof. dr Vladimir Milovanović, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Engineering

He is an associate professor at the Faculty of Engineering University of Kragujevac, in the field of Experimental Mechanics. He has strong experience in the field of Experimental Mechanics and numerical simulation in Structural Mechanics. Officially certified as an expert in laboratory testing on the SHIMADZU Servo-hydraulic Test System. Certificate for course Experimental Design by Experiments/University Centre of Bertinoro (Italy), Engineering Faculty, DIEM Department of University of Bologna (Italy). He is a leading researcher in the Center for Engineering Software and Dynamic Testing at the Faculty of Engineering University of Kragujevac (SHIMADZU Servo-hydraulic Test System, Full-field 3D Scanner Atos IIe and TRITOP, Tensile Hopkinson bar, FARO Arm Platinum). Team member of 5 national and 6 international projects. Strong experience in projects with direct collaboration with industry. 100 papers published in national and international journals and conferences. 18 papers published in SCI journals. He is the author of 4 technical solutions. He is also a teacher for a course in Experimental mechanics. He was supervisor of 1 PhD thesis and now he is currently supervisor of 1 PhD thesis. He is the President of the Council at the Faculty of Engineering University of Kragujevac.

Prof. dr Tomaž Vuherer, University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

He was born on March 3, 1970, in Slovenia. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maribor in 1995 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He obtained his master’s degree in 1999 and earned his Ph.D. in mechanical design and construction in 2008 from the same institution. Since 1995, he has been employed at the University of Maribor, starting as a young researcher. He later served as an assistant, then as an assistant professor (2011–2013), and since 2013, he has held the position of Head of the Welding Laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He also completed international specializations in welding engineering and inspection (IWE and IWI-C). His research focuses on welding technology, weldability of materials, mechanical testing, welding supervision, modernization and instrumentation of machines. He has led the Slovenian side of several bilateral international research projects with Austria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Professor Vuherer is the President of the Welding Society of Maribor, a member of the Slovenian Welding Society, and the national delegate for Slovenia in Commission XIII (Fatigue of Welded Components and Structures) of the International Institute of Welding (IIW). He also serves on editorial boards of several scientific journals and is a reviewer for numerous international publications in engineering and materials science. In addition to his native Slovenian, he is proficient in English, Serbian, and Croatian.

Prof. dr Milan Banić, University of Niš, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

He serves as the Head of the Center for Technology Transfer at the University of Niš and has been an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering since 2020. With nearly two decades of experience in innovation project implementation and product development, he has participated in over 30 projects and authored more than 100 publications. His expertise encompasses machine design, industrial product development, innovation management, railway vehicles, tribology, vibration control, and robotics. He played a pivotal role in AgAR’s (www.agarrobot.com) development by leading the development process as well as applying advanced structural optimization techniques to reduce the robot’s weight and enhance its performance, thereby accelerating its transition from prototype to market-ready solution.