Press

Powder-based laser beam melting (LPPF) is probably the best-known AM process and has great potential for industrial applications. But how can the limited range of materials for this process be circumvented and the market potential further expanded? This question was addressed by the IWM of RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer IFAM in the "LPBF powder kit" project funded by the AiF. The result was the development of a sustainable solution for the individual and robust processing of metal powder blends, so that the user can cover the desired material properties with a small selection of metal powders and flexibly adjust the alloys.

The Polymer Group has established another subsidiary, SoBiCo GmbH (Solutions in BioCompounds). The focus of activities is on flexible PLA copolymers, a novel class of bioplastics marketed under the name Plactid®. The successful development is the result of several years of collaboration between the Polymer Group and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. On July 5, 2022, the commissioning of the first production line in Pferdsfeld was celebrated with 150 guests.

In the attendance of numerous high-ranking guests, the 50th anniversary of Fraunhofer IZFP was celebrated yesterday with a large ceremony in the auditorium of Saarland University. Around 130 guests from politics, business, industry and research accepted the invitation.

Sasol and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will lead a consortium to develop and optimize next-generation catalysts that will play a key role in decarbonizing the aviation sector through sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Fraunhofer IKTS will contribute know-how in the development and shaping of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts to the project.

Glass objects which glow in the dark, glass containers that heat up and cool down, or glass control knobs and switches that eliminate viruses and bacteria by themselves – all this seems to completely contradict our everyday experience of what glass can do. And yet, it is now within reach. To create such functionalized and precision-molded glasses, research teams at Fraunhofer IKTS in Dresden have transferred their experience with ceramic processes to glass manufacturing.

The International Congress of the Foundry Industry for intelligent Combining of Design, Casting, Computer Simulation, Checking and Cyclic Behavior for efficient Cast Components »InCeight Casting C8« offers the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge of all the disciplines involved in the product life cycle of cast components. The aim is to develop a common understanding of the various requirements for high-performance and efficient cast products. From 6 to 8 March 2023 the second congress »InCeight Casting C8« will take place in Darmstadt. The Call for Papers is open until May 15, 2022.

With support from the Fraunhofer WKI, designer Sofia Souidi has developed wood-based panels made from wood fibers and casein. Casein is a formaldehyde-free binder that was already being used as an adhesive many centuries ago. Mixed-in color pigments and granulates combined with 3D moldability enable a diverse range of design possibilities. The material consists of recycled components and is itself recyclable.

Good things come to those who wait, as the saying goes. But wait no more! Shorter product development timeframes not only save time and money, but also improve competitiveness. This can be achieved with faster and more efficient testing processes. Fatigue tests [Ermüdungsversuche (EF)] on completed aircraft take up a significant portion of the time spent on aircraft development and certification. The aim is to reduce the time between the start of the project and certification from around eight years down to five. The ”F-REE” (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft RapidEF Enablers) project is working to develop and optimize innovative AI processes for use in industrial environments. Its main focus is on accelerating and significantly improving the reliability of testing processes. Doing so will also circumvent the time-intensive process of manually interpreting recorded data.

Saarland’s Minister President Tobias Hans and the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, signed an agreement today to establish the Fraunhofer Center for Sensor Intelligence. It will address the entire innovation chain in the pioneering field of intelligent sensor technology, bring together core areas of expertise from the regional research landscape and develop them further. The center will be housed in a new building on the campus of Saarland University as part of a joint project between the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT and the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP.

Making important raw materials for fine chemicals out of carbon dioxide really works. As part of the Max Planck collaborative project eBioCO2n, a team of researchers from Fraunhofer IGB have successfully performed a first ever fixation of CO2 via a multi-enzyme enzyme reaction driven by electricity yielding a prospective intermediate for the chemical industry. The process for electro-biocatalytic CO2 fixation was recently published and is considered a “hot paper.”