Dear members and people interested from the metallographic community,

The 56^th Metallography Conference will take place in Saarbrücken in 2022. Both, the editorial staff of Praktische Metallographie as well as the multifaceted metallographic scene of Saarland is already eagerly looking forward to welcoming you all and are intensively preparing the conference, together with our DGM Expert Committee Materialography. The conference will be held in the prestigious Audimax of the idyllically located Saarbrücken University campus, which presents its own academic world with many architectural facets, offering not only trend-setting institutes and research centers in Materials research and Computer Science, among others, but also cafés, restaurants and ballrooms, everything that our Metallography Conference needs for its legendary familiar image and has made it positively renowned over so many years.

Besides our traditional focus on preparation and microscopic microstructural imaging, microstructural analysis and metallographic failure analysis, the topics of the Saarbrücken Metallography Conference will primarily be in two promising areas for which the Saarbrücken Campus, with its expertise and technical equipment, stands like no other in Germany. These are, firstly, the further development and application of all tomography methods from the micro to the nano and atomic scale and, secondly, the application of state-of-the-art computer science capabilities and artificial intelligence to the urgent systematic and efficient digitization - also in our professional society.

Finally, a piece of tourism advice: take the time to explore the beautiful Saarland before or after the conference. Be it the unique sites of the Celts and Romans or the extremely diverse art and culture, the highest density of Michelin stars in Germany, or the popular premium hiking trails, Saarland is also worth the look! We look forward to seeing you!

With warm regards,

Your Frank Mücklich
Conference chair