Preface
On behalf of the 4M Association, it is our pleasure to welcome you all to Basque Country for the 4M 2013 conference. It is an honour for IK4-TEKNIKER to host this year’s conference in its new site located in Eibar.
IK4-TEKNIKER is an independent research organisation, founded in 1981, whose main focus is to improve manufacturing technologies, that includes all the situations that characterise a product life cycle, from conception and design, until the end of working life. Automotive parts, machine tools, mechanical capital goods, aerospace, biomedicine, chemical and industrial and consumer electronics are the most relevant sectors served by IK4-TEKNIKER. IK4-TEKNIKER is part of the IK4 Research Alliance that comprises nine Basque technological centres with a turnover of €104M and 1,400 researchers.
As a founding 4M member, IK4-TEKNIKER has a very active department working on Microtechnology and Nanotechnology, mainly focused during the last seven years on developing new nanopatterning and micromanufacturing methods (NIL, Soft-Lithography, Ultra–fast laser micromanufacturing, EDM, Micromilling and microinjection moulding) for different sectors like biomedicine, photovoltaics, aeronautics, NMP microelectronics and photonics. As the attendees will be able to see, these research activities are now supported by new and versatile clean rooms and other controlled environments fitted up to the most advanced standards.
The conference will be held in the superb IK4-TEKNIKER’s new facilities, with more than 28,000 m2 devoted to industrial research and development and located in a strategic place at the heart of the Basque Country, very near to the International Bilbao Airport and one of the most active Spanish industrial surroundings.
The conference maintains the same structure as previous editions starting each day with keynote talks presented by recognized international researchers, followed by topical sessions. Continuing the good practice of the lasts editions the conference is a good opportunity to follow the developments of the EC-funded FP7 projects in the field of multimaterial micromanufacturing. COTECH, IMPRESS, EUMINAfab and SMART-FRAME will be present again and new projects like MIDEMMA will join the community for the first time.
We would like to thank all authors, speakers and the Conference Organizing Committee for their participation in the review process. Also we would like to thank those at IK4-TEKNIKER who have taken the responsibility for the local organization and logistics, without whose help and support the conference would not have been possible.
Finally, we would not want to conclude without highlighting the attractiveness of the hosting city, San Sebastián, a nice place with an impressive quality of life. Outlined by “La Concha” bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the area of Biscay Gulf, San Sebastián is an ideal place for leisure; having exclusive shopping, frequent cultural events and extraordinary gastronomy. We wish you a nice stay and a fruitful conference.
Sabino Azcárate
IK4-TEKNIKER
Conference Chairman
Stefan Dimov
Birmingham University
Conference Co-Chair