News from our members

Due to crises such as the coronavirus pandemic or suspended trade agreements, supply bottlenecks occur time and again. Raw materials such as nickel, magnesium and rare earths, which industry needs to manufacture a wide range of products, are not always available — often for long periods of time. This is where a new Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft flagship project comes in.

The new UltraPLAS coating developed by Fraunhofer researchers has proven to be a ground-breaking solution to the challenges of primary forming processes. This advanced release and easy-to-clean coating is applied as a gradient layer using a cold plasma process and is suitable for materials such as tool steel, stainless steel and aluminum.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT congratulates the Dutch company Aerospace Propulsion Products (APP), as part of the Ariane Group, on the successful first launch of the Ariane 6 rocket on the evening of July 9th, 2024 from the European Spaceport in French Guiana.

Continuity and expansion of Fraunhofer activities in Saxony-Anhalt: On January 1, 2025, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS will integrate the Center for Economics and Management of Technologies CEM in Halle (Saale).

One promising approach to save raw materials is to move from the low to the medium-voltage level in renewable energy power plants. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE sees a huge potential for savings with higher system voltages, especially in large PV power plants.

Invasive infections such as sepsis require immediate and targeted treatment. Experts from the Fraunhofer IGB and group partners have succeeded in establishing a reconceptualized detection principle that can make a crucial contribution to saving lives through fast, ultra-accurate pathogen identification. They have been chosen to receive the 2024 Stifterverband Science Prize for their efforts.

A team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP has now developed a flexible and recyclable plastic film material based on polylactide (PLA) bioplastic and paved the way for its commercialization. Their efforts have earned the researchers the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 2024.

Teams of experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF are working intensively on EU regulations and the need for halogen free flame retardancy in specific applications.

Fraunhofer IMM is contributing to the precise lipid nanoparticle formulation using its knowledge of rapid mixing technology.

Together with chemical company Covestro Deutschland AG, Fraunhofer researchers have now developed a method that makes it possible to reclaim the substances originally used to make the polycarbonates.

Finding solutions to potential resource bottlenecks requires sustainable material design. New material compositions enable more environmentally friendly ship propulsion systems, more economical aircraft engines or even lighter electric vehicles.

Milestones for the clean and sustainable aviation of tomorrow: Clean Sky 2/Clean Aviation project "MFFD" shows potential of around 10 percent weight reduction and 10 percent cost savings in high-rate production.

The 5th Lightweighting Summit (geschaeftsstelle-leichtbau.de) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMWK) will open on April 23, 2024 at 2:00 pm and will be dedicated to the topic of transformation technologies for the resource transition with several top-class keynotes, a diverse panel discussion and a subsequent pitch format of innovative research projects.

at 2:15 pm Keynote I: Resources transition: lightweighting as a factor for competitiveness Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Transport and trade on the ocean blue must be made much greener. This is the goal of the new €17 million European GAMMA project, where companies and researchers from Europe will develop and convert a bulk carrier to sail on climate-neutral fuels and green power.

Several Fraunhofer Institutes and the Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus-Senftenberg, under the leadership of Rolls-Royce Germany and other partners such as the research institution ACCESS, are collaborating on the future of hybrid electric flying.