On September 22, 2025, Purdue University welcomed 150 attendees from 10 nations to the 15th International Conference on Shot Peening. Held in West Lafayette, Indiana, the ICSP spanned four days marked by interdisciplinary connections and a shared commitment to expanding shot peening research.
The week began with touching tributes to some of the pioneers in the shot peening industry. First, Jack Champaigne of Electronics Incorporated prepared a tribute to Prof. David Kirk’s contributions to the industry. Dr. Kirk was named a lifetime member of the ISCSP in 2002, after a career in metallurgy that spanned many decades. Then, Holger Polanetzki paid homage to the late Lothar Wagner. Wagner left behind a legacy of pioneering fatigue-life research in shot peening, including serving as Chair of Physical Metallurgy and Materials Technology at the Technical University of Brandenburg at Cottbus. Both were influential to the internation shot peening community and will be missed greatly.
The first technical talk, given by Mario Guagliano, Chair of ISCSP, explored the use of finite element analysis to reverse-engineer the impact patterns observed on the walls of Pompeii, revealing attributes of the weapons used. “A highlight of the week was having Mario, the last International Scientific Committee president, do such an interesting talk. He did it in Milan and kind of started Purdue with this thing; it was like a proper handoff to have him start the week,” noted Mark Gruninger, of Purdue. This presentation provided a fascinating parallel to how multiple industries, just like multiple disciplines of research, can benefit from intersectional collaboration.
The conference featured a robust schedule of 52 technical talks, covering a wide spectrum of topics: explorations of industrial applications and additive manufacturing; in-depth analyses of stress and surface dynamics; studies on surface engineering and alternative peening techniques. These presentations underscored the theme of expanding research across traditional and emerging domains — emphasizing not just how shot peening strengthens materials, but how it is evolving into new applications, materials and processes.
This atmosphere of shared purpose was also evident throughout the exhibition hall. Twenty-four exhibitors, including five interactive tables, demonstrated new technologies and offerings from various industry representatives. Purdue’s Materials and Manufacturing Research Laboratory (MMRL) served as the focal point of this atmosphere, allowing attendees to observe results from CSEE’s industry-paired research projects and introducing them to some of the newest technological capabilities and innovation opportunities. “The demonstrations that we ran, coupled with the image analysis that we can do, offer the industry significant opportunity to very quantitatively describe what’s going on in situ. That really gives practitioners an opportunity to feel much more informed about the peening that’s taking place,” said Gruninger.
The week wasn’t all lectures, though. Between talks, Purdue’s dining and catering department provided delicious, flavorful meals featuring staples of Midwestern cuisine. Each meal was accompanied by a short program, including a talk on the history of ICSP from Dr. Abbas Niku-Lari, ISCSP Honorary Life Member, sponsor presentations, and an inspiring video message from Indiana Governor Mike Braun. More notable, though, was the exchange of ideas between researchers and industry professionals that filled the room. Heads were bent over notebooks littered with sketches and formulas; business cards were passed between hands; peals of laughter rang out between old colleagues.
The cultural event, a trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, introduced attendees to a staple of Indiana—the Indy 500. The visit started with the immersive 3-D theatre, welcoming guests to the Brickyard with flair. As the sound of roaring engines and cheering fans echoed throughout the room, it was hard not to feel engulfed in that moment of Indiana tradition. From there, attendees explored the museum, with many taking turns competing in the virtual proving grounds. They were also treated to a private tour of the winner’s circle, complete with the chance to climb up to their rightful place on the podium.
ICSP-16 will be hosted by Dr. Yoshihiro Watanabe of Toyo Seiko. The conference will take place at the Nagaragawa Convention Center in Gifu Prefecture. Proposed activities include a tea ceremony, cormorant fishing, and a tour of the Seki Hamono Museum for a demonstration of traditional Japanese sword forging.
“I’ve been in business for almost 40 years. In the end, that’s the common denominator of any of them, whether it’s selling chocolate or shot peening equipment- it’s people. People are the common denominator. You can see awesome people in so many of the companies that attended ICSP-15, from companies and universities. People who know a lot and people who are younger and contributing from a far different educational experience, it’s pretty clear to see that is going to usher in a whole new level of understanding.
