Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT

New mRNA vaccines and gene therapeutics have gained media attention as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. These pharmaceuticals, known as ATMPs (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products), contain living cells or the nucleic acids DNA or RNA. Producing such ATMPs in high quality requires customized produc-tion facilities and an associated range of services. The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT from Aachen and Harro Höfliger from Allmersbach im Tal are now entering into a cooperation to develop fully automated ATMP production systems: Together, the partners are developing an offer for consult-ing, analysis and product development through to the serial production of mar-ketable ATMP systems. The cooperation was launched with the signing of the cooperation agreement on November 14, 2023 in Aachen.

Over the past eight years, since Formnext opened its doors as a trade fair for additive manufacturing, the market and the needs of the industry have changed significantly: Whereas in the beginning, sheer enthusiasm about the technical possibilities dominated, companies now demand flawlessly functioning solutions for processes and systems technology in order to turn new ideas into concrete products quickly and cost-effectively. This year at the trade fair, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT from Aachen will be demonstrating how it ensures that production chains function seamlessly and what is required to turn a 3D-printed object into a finished end product.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen has expanded its machinery with a new system for the automated molding of high-precision optical glass components. As a result, the institute is now the only research institution in Europe able to offer research on efficient small-series production of small glass optics using a wafer-level approach. Large individual optics with a diameter of up to 150 millimeters can also be manufactured with the facility.

How can digital methods be used to redesign and optimize existing production processes? For many companies, it is unclear how they can use Industry 4.0 technologies to their advantage. The current study report by the "International Center for Networked, Adaptive Production ICNAP" offers insights into the implementation of digitalization technologies in industry. This free study report provides a comprehensive overview of practical research on topics such as data security, sustainability and digital twins and is now available to download.