The 16th International Aluminium Conference (INALCO 2026) was held in Trondheim, Norway, from 10 to 12 June 2026. The conference was hosted at NTNU Gløshaugen and organised by NTNU—Norwegian University of Science and Technology in close collaboration with SINTEF. Hydro, WSP, and Speira generously supported the conference as sponsors, reflecting the strong connection between aluminium research, industrial practice, and sustainable value creation.
INALCO has a long-standing tradition as an international meeting place for the aluminium community. Since its origins in 1979, the conference has developed into a forum where researchers, engineers, industry leaders, and public-sector stakeholders meet to exchange knowledge and shape future directions for aluminium science and technology. Following the 13th edition in Naples, Italy, the 14th edition in Tokyo, Japan, and the 15th edition in Quebec City, Canada, the 16th edition brought the conference to Trondheim and to one of Norway’s most active research environments for materials, manufacturing, and industrial innovation.
The Trondheim edition was framed by the broad role of aluminium in the transition towards circular, lightweight, and low-carbon solutions. The programme combined keynote lectures, parallel technical sessions, industrial and policy perspectives, and curated tours, thereby linking fundamental metallurgy, process technology, structural applications, design methods, and life-cycle thinking. Particular emphasis was placed on circularity, recycling-tolerant materials, joining and weld integrity, solid-state and additive manufacturing, forming and process control, digital methods, and aluminium solutions for infrastructure and transport.
To illuminate these topics, the conference programme included a series of invited keynote and special presentations:
- Daniel Cooper, University of Michigan, with the lecture “Circular and Climate-Smart Aluminium Lightweight Solutions”.
- Grethe Winther, Technical University of Denmark, with the lecture “Deformation-induced Microstructural Evolution—Experiments and Simulations”.
- Livan Fratini, University of Palermo, with the lecture “Solid-State Manufacturing: A Pathway to Sustainable Metal Processing”.
- Anders Nesse, Hydro Extrusions, with the lecture “Digital Manufacturing: Enabling Lightweight, Durable and Circular Aluminium Solutions”.
- Benoit Cusson, WSP Canada, with the lecture “20 Industry Organizations Team Up to Develop a New Generation of Aluminum Highway Bridges”.
- Irmgard Weißensteiner, Montanuniversität Leoben, with the lecture “Towards Scrap-Tolerant Aluminium Sheet Materials”.
- Francesca Di Bernardo, European Aluminium, with the special presentation “Connecting Research, Industry, and Policy for Sustainable Aluminium Solutions”.
The technical programme was organised into seven thematic areas and seven technical session blocks across three parallel sessions. The final programme listed 72 oral technical presentations. Together, these contributions demonstrated the breadth of contemporary aluminium research, from alloy chemistry, precipitation, and fracture mechanisms to digital modelling, manufacturing routes, welded and bolted connections, forming processes, life-cycle assessment, and infrastructure applications.
The conference also included a best paper and best poster award, sponsor presentations, and a social programme designed to strengthen connections within the aluminium community.
Thirty-five contributions from the conference programme are published in this proceedings volume, and an additional non-presented contribution was accepted due to force majeure. The volume reflects both the scientific depth and the practical relevance of aluminium research at a time when the material is increasingly important for sustainable mobility, infrastructure, energy systems, manufacturing, and circular industrial value chains.
The INALCO 2026 Local Organizing Committee consisted of the following members:
- NTNU—Norwegian University of Science and Technology:
- Bjørn Holmedal, Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
- Trond Furu, Adjunct Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Hydro).
- Odd Sture Hopperstad, Department of Structural Engineering.
- Randi Holmestad, Department of Physics.
- Knut Marthinsen, Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
- David Morin (Academic Co-Editor for Proceedings), Department of Structural Engineering.
- Sigmund Arntsønn Tronvoll (Conference Chair, and Academic Editor for Proceedings), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
- Torgeir Welo, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
- SINTEF Industry
- Siri Marthe Arbo, Manufacturing.
- Dirk Nolte, Materials and Nanotechnology.
- Xiaobo Ren, Metal Production and Processing.
On behalf of the conference committee, we thank all authors, reviewers, session chairs, keynote speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, technical staff, and participants for their contributions to INALCO 2026. Their engagement made the Trondheim edition a lively forum for scientific exchange, industrial relevance, and international collaboration within the aluminium community.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
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