Tradition and innovation
Jerry P. Byers | TLT President's Report March 2013
STLE’s 2013 Annual Meeting & Exhibition blends the best of both worlds during five action-packed days in Detroit.
A one-day minicamp in Detroit will expose local high school students to potential careers in the fields of tribology and lubrication technology. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Murgueitio, STLE)
HAVE YOU EVER ATTENDED one of STLE’s annual meetings? Each is a premier technical event that is jam-packed with activity. One simply cannot take part in everything the week has to offer! In that respect our 68th event, May 5-9 in Detroit, is no different—but everything else about the meeting is brand new!
Detroit was chosen as the site for this year’s meeting because of its central location and also because it is the Motor City; professionals there have a wide interest in tribology and lubrication. Detroit also has a number of excellent attractions, including the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, Ford factory tours and the Michigan Science Center.
There are 350 presentations in 70 technical sessions divided into 25 distinct subject areas. We also offer 12 education courses, some of which are being given for the first time. We especially encourage attendees to visit the trade show to view the industry’s latest products and services and to meet with some 70 exhibitors, most of whom are STLE corporate members.
For the first time, STLE is sponsoring a dedicated Exhibitor Appreciation Hour on Monday, May 6, from 3-4 p.m., and you’re definitely invited! Student posters will be on display in the exhibit area, too. This is always a great opportunity to review tomorrow’s ideas and talent in the field of tribology research.
Monday’s keynote speaker is Dr. Kenneth Holmberg with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. His talk is titled, “Global Energy Consumption Due to Friction in Passenger Cars, Transportation and Industry.” For the last 20 years he has intensively studied the friction and wear mechanisms of surfaces coated by very thin (about one micrometer) ceramic surface coatings such as physical and chemical vapor deposited surfaces.
Detroit also marks the first time STLE is conducting a minicamp designed to expose local high school students to potential careers in the fields of tribology and lubrication technology. During the one-day minicamp, students will conduct five or six experiments related to friction and lubrication. A group of our members, headed by STLE Treasurer Dr. Maureen Hunter of King Industries, are still in need of assistance with experiments and materials. If you can help, please contact Maureen at
mhunter@kingindustries.com.
We are always searching for ways to help those who have never attended an STLE annual meeting experience some of the things they have been missing. At last year’s meeting, we asked everyone who attended a technical presentation to rate both the content and the speaker. From those ratings, we created a list we called the “2012 Annual Meeting Highlights.” Then we asked those selected presenters to record their talks, which are now available, one per week, at
www.stle.org. The presentations will continue up until the 2013 meeting, and we hope you will choose to hear some of the best technical presentations from the 2012 annual meeting. The first presentation was made by Karen Eisenhauer, who discussed her survey on the needs and concerns of metalworking fluid users.
Take a look at STLE’s annual meeting! See what you have been missing.
Then resolve to be in Detroit for five days in May. The rest of the industry is waiting to meet you.
Jerry Byers is manager of research and development for Cimcool Fluid Technology in Cincinnati. You can reach him at jerry_p_byers@cimcool.com.