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About us

From welding research to your production line.

WeldNova is a team of welding engineers in Berlin and a spin-off of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). We take single-pass welding of thick sections from the laboratory into production.

The four members of the WeldNova team in front of a robotic welding cell
The WeldNova team in Berlin.

The team

  • Dr.-Ing. Christian Brunner-Schwer Managing Director and Sales LinkedIn
  • Dr.-Ing. Fatma Akyel, IWE Head of Research and Development LinkedIn
  • Dr.-Ing. Nasim Bakir Head of Production Development LinkedIn
  • Dr.-Ing. Ömer Üstündağ Head of Application LinkedIn

Our history

WeldNova is a spin-off of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) (opens in a new tab). Our technology comes from many years of basic research in BAM Division 9.3 Welding Technology under Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rethmeier. In this work, the electromagnetic weld pool support developed into a practical tool for controlling the melt.

Ömer Üstündağ and Nasim Bakir, together with Dr. Gumenyuk, brought the technology to application readiness at BAM. Fatma Akyel adds experience from ISF at RWTH Aachen University, Christian Brunner-Schwer from the Fraunhofer Institute IPK.

We still work closely with BAM and other research institutes in Germany and combine that research background with hands-on experience from welding in industry.

Application center

  • Fiber lasers up to 45 kW
  • Welding cells with external linear and rotary axes
  • Seam lengths up to 3 m, plate thickness adapted to your application
  • Materials testing and metallography on request, and trials at your plant

Recognition

Awards to our team

  • 2025Among the 100 most important minds in Berlin science — Tagesspiegel (opens in a new tab)Dr.-Ing. Fatma Akyel
  • 2024WLT Prize — Scientific Society for Laser Technology and Photonics (WLT)Dr.-Ing. Ömer Üstündağ
  • 2023W. H. Hobart Memorial Award — American Welding SocietyDr.-Ing. Ömer Üstündağ, Dr.-Ing. Nasim Bakir
  • 2022Kenneth Easterling Award — International Institute of Welding (IIW)Dr.-Ing. Ömer Üstündağ

Origin and funding

BAM — Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing

WeldNova GmbH is a spin-off of Division 9.3 Welding Technology at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM).

Funded by SPRIND — Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (article about WeldNova, opens in a new tab)
EXIST — supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag; co-funded by the European Union (opens in a new tab)

Member of DVS – German Welding Society (opens in a new tab) and FOSTA – Research Association for Steel Application (opens in a new tab).

One point of contact, from qualification to the machine.

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