Press Releases

The effects of climate change are leading to a change of perspective not only in industry and society: Manufacturers and suppliers of engines and stationary turbomachinery have long recognized that the overriding goals of conserving resources and reducing emissions can now only be achieved if they are able to implement both evolutionary and revolutionary concepts along the entire product life cycle. How to succeed in meeting the associated challenges in the manufacture and repair of turbomachinery is the central question of the sixth ICTM Conference, which will be held on February 16 and 17, 2022, which will be held completely digitally for the first time. Discounted early bird tickets are available until January 23 and online registration is open until February 11, 2022.

During clinical research, cell cultures help test new drugs, determine the correct dosage of active substances, and better understand processes in the human body. Until now, we have mostly used cell cultures growing in a single layer on a culture medium. However, current research results show that cell cultures that grow in three-dimensional forms can, in fact, answer many questions better and more realistically than conventional cell cultures. In a new white paper, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen describes the challenges of working with 3D cell cultures and how optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to reliably visualize 3D cell cultures.

Hydrogen is becoming an increasingly important energy carrier against climate change. Although hydrogen combustion does not release any carbon dioxide, what hardly anyone knows is that it produces more nitrogen oxides (NOx) than the combustion of fossil fuels. In a joint research project, FH Aachen – University of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen, together with Präwest Präzisionswerkstätten GmbH & Co KG in Bremen, have used Additive Manufacturing to produce a hydrogen combustion chamber in a new design that can significantly reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. The partners are now presenting this prototype to the public at Formnext, the trade fair for Additive Manufacturing and industrial 3D printing.

“Instead of growth, we must focus on values!” – this statement by BASF executive Saori Dubourg is what participants of the 30th Aachen Machine Tool Colloquium (AWK) took home on September 23, 2021. More than 1,400 specialists and executives from the management levels of the manufacturing industry had followed the call of the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT to the traditional network meeting: After a postponement due to the coronavirus, the AWK took place with the motto “Internet of Production – Turning Data into Sustainability” as one of the first large face-to-face events on-site in Aachen and simultaneously as an online conference.

Münster. The Fraunhofer Research Fab Battery Cells (FFB) has started its research activities in Münster. Employees of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster (WWU) have put a mixing and coating system into operation in the "FFB Workspace" to test electrode production. The aim is to further develop the fully continuous mixing process with regard to the electrode material, the processes and digitization. With the infrastructure in the clean room of the “AlexProWerk”, the Research Fab Battery Cells can carry out initial research contracts for the industry.

A team of researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen has developed a hybrid additive manufacturing process that combines wire-based and powder-based laser cladding (LMD). The new process can be used to apply protective coatings of high-strength tool steel to workpieces and repair surface defects at low cost. The tool coatings produced in this way are more wear-resistant, resource-efficient and cost-efficient than those produced by other methods. Following successful test series with tool components, there are plans to use the process to machine hydraulic components.

Manufacturing companies that network their machines and systems are particularly at risk from security vulnerabilities and attacks on their IT infrastructure. This was determined by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in the course of scientific investigations for the white paper "Cybersecurity in Networked Production", which has now also been published in English. The Aachen scientists now want to further develop the cross-industry "Production Security Readiness Check" in an AiF-funded research project together with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Interested companies that would like to thoroughly check their production IT with regard to protection and security can still participate in the project.

To create a sustainable road traffic system, hundreds of thousands of fuel cells will be needed for hydrogen-powered cars in the future. Until now, though, fuel cell production has been complex and too slow. The Fraunhofer team is therefore developing a continuous production line that will be able to process fuel cell components in cycles lasting just seconds. The pilot line is set to be presented at the Hannover Messe Digital Edition from April 12 to April 16, 2021.

Industrial production today is only about one thing: productivity. Until now, the values behind this term have prevented a zero-emission and sustainable production, even though it would already be technologically and economically possible. However, changing requirements of the capital market from a plain financial orientation to a holistic view of sustainability, demand that German companies rethink the concept of productivity. The Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT will discuss the question of how the Internet of Production (IoP) can support this process and at the same time make companies crisis-proof during the 30th Aachen Machine Tool Colloquium (AWK) on September 22 and 23, 2021, at Eurogress Aachen and in digital form.

Being able to reliably and safely control and regulate highly dynamic production systems still appears to be a challenge for many companies. Edge and cloud systems are gaining in importance, but even today there is still a lack of appropriate equipment and infrastructure to permanently integrate existing machines and plants into digital IT landscapes in accordance with the necessary industrial requirements. To this end, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen, together with partners from mechanical engineering, network technology and robotics, is now developing an end-to-end real-time-capable communication infrastructure based on 5G mobile technology and the Time Sensitive Networking (TSN).