Intervening in this event will be experts from leading technological companies like Toshiba, Carl Zeiss or FEI

From 2 to 5 June, Donostia will host the 9th International Conference of the European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (EUSPEN). On that occasion, the Kursaal Congress Centre in Guipuzcoa's provincial capital will be the venue for a reference forum where international experts from various companies including Toshiba, Carl Zeiss or FEI will present the major recent developments in the ultraprecision and microtechnology spheres of activity.

The Eibar-based technology centre TEKNIKER-IK4 is responsible for coordinating this year's edition of the International Conference that purports to be a showcase for the most significant global advances in such areas as precision manufacturing processes, measuring systems, instruments and techniques, or the design of last-generation materials for precision, micro and nano engineering. All of these technologies are essential to developing new products and processes in key sectors of high added value like the automotive, aeronautic, biomedical, electronic and renewable energy industries.
At this 9th edition of the International Conference of EUSPEN, commercial sessions will alternate with more specifically technical lectures. These will include papers delivered by Dr. K. Tanaka, Technical Adviser and former General Manager of the electronics company Toshiba's High Precision Machine Division, by Dr. W. Nahm, Advanced Development Manager of optical service company Carl Zeiss, and by Dr. A. Frank de Jong, Research & Technology Manager of specialist nanotechnology company FEI.

The presidency of EUSPEN has chosen to hold this Conference in Euskadi because it is "internationally recognised" as "the centre of the Spanish machine-tool industry". As they claim, this industry has landed the Basque Country €1,050 million in 2007 and has grown by 7.3%. In their opinion, it is essential for applications in such sectors as the automotive and aerospace industries. EUSPEN further points out that on those grounds they decided to entrust "the Spanish leading centre in mechatronics, manufacturing technologies and micro and nanotechnologies" - alluding to Tekniker-IK4 - with the organization of the event.

TEKNIKER-IK4, CIC nanoGUNE and Danobat

For that very reason, the event organisers have planned guided visits during the conference-opening day, giving the participants the chance to choose from three representative leaders of the nanotechnology and precision engineering industry in Gipuzkoa. These are TEKNIKER-IK4 Technology Centre in Eibar; the Nanoscience Cooperative Research Centre CIC nanoGUNE sited in Miramont Technology Park, San Sebastian; and the specialist machine-tool manufacturer Danobat having its principal place of business in Elgoibar.

The European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (EUSPEN) is an influential organization that gathers businesses, researchers and other bodies from 30 countries worldwide and helps them to make contact. Set up in the United Kingdom in 1999, EUSPEN is an international platform that aims to foment collaboration between companies and research centres with a view to promoting technological developments.
On the other hand, with over 25 years of experience doing research in applied technology and transferring the same to the industry, TEKNIKER-IK4 has reached a high level of specialization in four major areas: Precision Engineering and Mechatronics, Surface Engineering, Production Engineering, and Manufacturing Automation and Technologies. TEKNIKER-IK4 is thus able to make its leading-edge technology available to all sorts of tasks. In 2008, developments by the Eibar-based technology centre were worth about 19 million euro.

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