Process development and prototype production

Before series production starts, many practical questions have to be clarified: Many of them deal with the product design, which must not only find acceptance among users and be technically functional, but also be produced at an economically and ecologically justifiable cost. To this end, prototypes can be used to prove that all requirements have been met. Likewise, manufacturing plants can be prototyped and interconnected to form process chains in order to verify whether they are capable of producing the desired product in the required quality and in an economically efficient manner.

Simulations and other digital technologies, as well as high-precision measurement processes, help to ensure that the product idea can first be turned into a functional prototype and later into a reproducible, high-quality end product. The trend is increasingly moving away from the iterative production of countless prototypes and toward digital decision-making aids that are so precisely oriented to the later physical product that – in the spirit of more sustainable manufacturing – only a few trials are required to achieve the perfect component, the ideal system or the fully functional component.

At Fraunhofer IPT, we use digital methods to optimize manufacturing processes and process chains as much as possible: our goal, especially for particularly costly components and processes, is to ensure that the first part comes out of the machine ready for use – in line with the "first-part-right" principle.

Prototyping from A to Z

Serial production is usually preceded by countless attempts to optimize production. How well this succeeds also depends on the quality of the prototypes that precede the series. With our experience from the production of various industries and comprehensive knowledge of the use of the latest digitization technologies, we accelerate your prototype production and thus get to the ready-to-use product faster.

Agile methods for product development

Using agile methods, our expert teams support their product development – from pilot to enterprise-wide rollout.

 

Measure and test processes and prototypes

We have a wide range of high-performance measurement methods and can also develop the right quality control methodology for your product.

 

Prototype production in engine manufacturing

For the turbomachinery industry, we manufacture prototypes of BLISK components and improve our partners' manufacturing know-how for these extremely costly components.

Prototyping in precision assembly

For the production of miniaturized optical and electronic systems, we set up prototype production facilities for micro assembly.

Semi-finished products for FRP battery housing

Specialized materials such as FRP require great process know-how in manufacturing. In the "LightMatBatteryHousing" project, we are developing processes and prototypes for large-scale production.

 

Produce digitized FRP pressure vessels

To ensure the durability of pressure vessels made of fiber-reinforced plastic, we have prototyped a digitized production plant in the "DaQuoTa" project. 

 

Fiber metal semi-finished products (FMLs)

For aerospace and automotive applications as well as for innovative container solutions, biodegradable FMLs offer a sustainable alternative to classic materials.

Glass components for the future of the automobile

Through simulation, we are preventing molding errors in non-isothermal glass processing in the "Glass4AutoFuture" project.