It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Dipl.Ing Erich Nechtelberger, aged 83.
Known for his in-depth foundry technical knowledge and his desire to disseminate information to future generations of foundry personnel, Nechtelberger was a familiar face at events throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
He very often represented Austria at World Foundry Organization general assembly meetings and at World Foundry Congresses.
After studying metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben in 1962, he was hired as an assistant in the experimental foundry of the Austrian Institute in Leoben. In 1979 he was appointed as deputy head of the Institute and in 1983 as a director of practical foundry research, as well as director of the Austrian Foundry Research Institute. Since 1989 he was leading a mining professions council of the Republic of Austria.
In 1989 he retired, but with the foundry sector being in his blood, he came back to the industry in 2001 when he accepted the position of managing director of the Association of Austrian Foundrymen. In 2002 he also took over the editing of the main Austrian foundry journal ‘Giesserei-Rundschau’. Since 1965 Nechtelberger has also been a member of the VDG, German Foundry Association.
For many years his work has been at the forefront of cast iron and cast iron with vermicular graphite research and in recognition of special merits in foundry technology he was awarded the Bernhard-Osann medal by the VDG in 2010.
In 2017 he was bestowed an Honorary Member of the Slovenian Foundrymen Society for being a “faithful participant of the International Foundry Confence Portoroz, a great connoisseur of the foundry sector, an expert and remarkable colleague and friend.” He also won the Slovenian Foundrymen Society Medal in 2020.
He was also a friend to Foundry Trade Journal, always offering valued words of advice and keen to ensure the most relevant technical information for the global foundry sector was shared with the readership.
Our condolences are extended to his family, friends and former colleagues.