In early September, the 12th Magnetic Bearing Technology Workshop took place at the HSZG. Experts from companies, universities, and colleges accepted the invitation from the Mechatronics Department at the IPM and used the two days to exchange experiences in the field of magnetic bearing technology. The program included both technical presentations and tours of the magnetic bearing research facilities.

This year’s 12th Magnetic Bearing Technology Workshop in Zittau-Chemnitz continues a series of events that began 25 years ago with the first workshop in Zittau in 1994. While magnetic bearings were initially considered special or niche solutions, they have since achieved mainstream status in numerous applications. This is attributable not only to the availability of increasingly powerful components—for example, in control or power electronics—but also to the use of modern, computer-aided methods in the design and construction of magnetic bearings. The consistent advancement of magnetic bearing technology and its beneficial application in industry and power engineering lead to increased energy efficiency, safety, and reliability of systems, as well as a reduction in environmentally harmful emissions. New fields of application are also emerging from current developments in energy supply and the digitization and networking of industrial production—Industry 4.0. In this sense, the workshop once again served as a forum for scientists, developers, manufacturers, and users to further advance this technology.