Institute for Machine Tools (IfW) at the University of Stuttgart
For almost 120 years, the Institute for Machine Tools (IfW) at the University of Stuttgart has been researching and teaching in the areas of design, simulation and optimization of machine tools, assemblies, power tools and tools as well as their experimental and simulative analysis. The research and development projects of the institute for tool and process optimization of machining processes are carried out not only for metallic materials and their alloys, but also for wood or wood-based materials, plastics, composite materials and hybrid materials. The focus is on topics related to generative or additive manufacturing processes, safety and automation technology, the application of lightweight construction concepts in use, as well as environmental technology to reduce emissions and the development of energy saving potential in manufacturing processes. The versatility, resource and material efficiency as well as the ergonomic design of machine tools, which, in addition to multi-technological process chains and intelligent self-optimizing machine tools, are components of intelligent production and thus current Industry 4.0 production, have always been an integral part of research at the Institute for Machine Tools University of Stuttgart.
The IfW is divided into six research groups: machine design, machine testing, machining technologies, wood and composite material processing as well as process monitoring / control, whereby the fundamentally oriented as well as application or industry-related projects are characterized by a high interdisciplinary approach.
FOTEC Forschungs- und Technologietransfer GmbH
FOTEC Forschungs- und Technologietransfer GmbH is the research subsidiary of the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt/Austria and has been founded in 1998. FOTEC initiates and implements R&D projects with intent to support the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt in the realization of its R&D strategy for the bachelor and master study programmes. FOTEC acts in a highly interdisciplinary environment and has access to a network composed of national and international companies, research organisations, universities, intermediary organisations as well as funding agencies.
FOTEC operates three business areas: Aerospace Engineering, Innovative Software Systems and Engineering Technologies. The department Engineering Technologies, with total 9 researchers, operates a modern and state-of-the-art laboratory for additive manufacturing (3d printing) of metals and polymers.Since 2010 highly complex prototypes and structural parts are designed and manufactured at FOTEC by laser beam melting. Additive manufacturing allows a high degree of design freedom, which is not allowed with conventional technologies. FOTEC is acting as an experienced and reliable R&D partner, starting from 3D CAD design supported by simulation methods for topology optimization, over proper material selection and extensive powder characterization, followed by manufacturing with included documentation of the whole process chain and finally 3D-tactile and 3D-scanning measurement.
FOTEC is operating two metal additive manufacturing systems, an EOS M400 (building volume 400 x 400 x 400 mm³, laser power up to 1000 W) and an EOSINT M280 (building volume 250 x 250 x 300 mm³, laser power up to 200W).
Additionally there is a plastic additive manufacturing system EOS P396 (building volume: 350 x 350 x 600 mm³, laser power up to 70 W) available. With these building systems for laser beam melting the production of highly complex metal parts made of aluminium (AlSi10Mg), titanium (Ti6Al4V), (stainless) steel (1.2709 or 1.4540) and nickel-base alloys and also plastics like Polyamid 12, as well as aluminium-filled Polyamid 12 (Alumide) is possible.
Institute of Production Engineering and Photonic Technologies (IFT)
at TU Wien
The Institute of Production Engineering and Photonic Technologies (IFT) is part of the Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology. With the working areas of machining and laser assisted manufacturing, the IFT covers a broad field of manufacturing technology and machine tools.
In the development of innovative processes as well as the machine technologies required for them, the institute is considered one of the most important locations of production technology research. Technology transfer through project partnership is an important concern of the IFT to ensure the competitiveness of Austrian companies.
In addition to the research activities in the classical fields of mechanical engineering, the IFT focuses on the development of production technology on current issues such as energy and resource efficiency, micro- to macroscopic scaling of processes and machines, high-performance machining and, above all, the integration of communication and information technologies. On the one hand, we are investigating how classical production technologies can be transferred to new materials and applications, and on the other hand, we are researching the design of future factories and their equipment and IT systems. In close cooperation with project partners, the IFT works on a wide range of manufacturing technology solutions such as 3D printing with the process development and optimization, quality assurance and NC path planning in the metal and plastic processes (LPBF, SLS, DED) in joint research projects and furthermore develops methods and processes for tomorrow's manufacturing.
inspire AG
for mechatronic production systems and manufacturing technology
inspire AG is the Swiss competence center for production technology and is a strategic Partner of ETH Zürich with a total of six lead professors from various disciplines. It promotes innovation in companies of the Swiss MEM (Metal, Electro, Machinery) industries through a rapid transfer of research results. The five research groups under the leading professor K. Wegener from the Institute of Machine Tools and Manufacturing, IWF at ETH Zürich cover a wide field of manufacturing, in particular the machining of hard and brittle materials by grinding, electric discharge and laser machining. They have been researching amongst others for 15 years on sustainable machine tools and on additive manufacturing.
In the field of sustainable manufacturing, research activities include the function-related analysis of energy supplied, measuring and simulation of the thermo-energetic behaviour of machine tools, and the resource-related optimization of process chains.
Activities in additive manufacturing (AM) cover powder-bed based processing of plastics (SLS) and various metals (SLM) as well as direct metal deposition (DMD). In AM, a particular focus is on the powder qualification in the context of quality assessment.
GFE - Society for Production Engineering and Development
Schmalkalden e.V.
- Precision tools and effective cutting technologies
- Testing and measurement methods for tools and components
(with a focus on the area of 2D and3D image processing) - Hard coatings with high wear and temperature resistance
- Construction of user-specific test benches
- Material and tool testing
KU Leuven
From Renaissance philosophy to cutting-edge nanotechnology: as one of Europe’s oldest universities, KU Leuven boasts a long tradition of ground-breaking research and high-quality education.
KU Leuven is dedicated to education and research in nearly all fields. Its fifteen faculties offer education, while research activities are organized by the departments and research groups. These faculties and departments, in turn, are clustered into three groups: Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), and Biomedical Sciences. Each of these groups has a doctoral school for its doctoral training programmes. KU Leuven boasts fourteen campuses, spread across 10 cities in Flanders.
KU Leuven is a research intensive university, a setting for both fundamental and applied research, with a strong inter- and multidisciplinary background and a clear international orientation. We aim for research excellence, a contribution to societal and cultural debates and the realisation of a real knowledge society. Individual initiative, critical reflection, collaboration, solidarity, academic freedom, and diversity are key concepts in realising these goals.
Many of the KU Leuven research groups are recognized, world-wide, to be leaders in their field. Beside their focus on basic research, a vivid interest in possible applications is omnipresent and collaboration with other laboratories and with the industry is encouraged.
The machining research group focuses on the investigation, development, and implementation of non-conventional and hybrid processes for the machining of advanced materials and complex shaped components, post processing of additive manufactured parts, and up-coming needs such as the machining of functional surfaces.
The welding group studies different welding processes, implements advanced techniques in weld quality prediction and improvement. Besides the general welding applications, wire and ark additive manufacturing (WAAM) and acoustic emission monitoring are subjects of interest for this research group. WAAM allows fast, material-efficient and environmental friendly production of parts from different kinds of metals using the gas metal arc welding process and a standard welding robot.
Thomas More University of Applied Sciences
Thomas More was founded in 2012 by a fusion of Lessius University of Applied Sciences and Catholic University of Applied Sciences Kempen. Currently it is the largest university of applied sciences in the Flanders region in Belgium. It has activities spread over 11 campuses and hosts over 60 educational programs. Beside education Thomas More focuses on applied research, trying to maximise impact for companies by implementing and validating fundamental research in real-life cases and translating research results to usable tools and applications for the private and social-profit sector.
There are 3 large research domains in which Thomas More is active: Health and Care, Innovative Business and Technology & Design. Within the Ad-Proc-Add project the research group Sustainble Design & Manufacturing (SuDeMa) part of the research domain Technology & Design is involved. Its located at Campus De Nayer near the city of Mechelen.
The mission of SuDeMa is to make the manufacturing industry more sustainable, by optimizing: lead times, consumables, tool wear, material usage and implementing more eco-friendly materials and processes. To achieve this mission they adjust existing or introducing new manufacturing processes and software tools, or tune product design according the manufacturing process. The group has extensive knowhow in: 3- and 5-axis machining, additive manufacturing of plastics by extrusion, additive manufacturing of metals by WAAM, CAD design, CAM systems, robotized manufacturing, injection moulding and welding processes.
Sirris
Sirris is a non-profit organisation that helps companies by focussing on your markets and technologies to facilitate the attainment of their objectives. Sirris offers individual support at every step along the way, from the drawing board stage right through to prototype development and pilot tests for finished products. Companies will retain ownership of the results of any cooperation, such as innovative applications or solutions. The acquired know-how remains available at the collective centre for other companies to exploit. This way Sirris also helps other companies, and thus Belgian industry as a whole, to forge ahead.
At the department of Advanced Manufacturing, involved in this project, Sirris tries to bridge the gap between technology and industry and guide anyone who wants to take steps towards Additive Manufacturing: from feasibility studies to the integration of AM technology in a production environment. The aspect of post-machining is very intensely studied and findings are distributed towards the industry.
Belgian Welding Institute
The Belgian Welding Institute (BIL- Belgisch Instituut voor Lastechniek) focuses on applied research on welding and joining processes as well as on the weldability of material for specific industrial applications. The needs of its members and of industry as a whole are the primary focus of the research activities. The knowledge and know-how of the BIL is called upon by businesses in a variety of sectors: chemical, metal, food, etc. Within this scope, the BIL focuses on the industrial applicability of innovative joining technology and responds to the market and industry’s demand for knowledge and innovation.
BWI performs both the collective and tailor-made research. Universities, research centres and large and small businesses take part of collective research, with a minimal cost and maximum research results. Networking and collaborating in a non-competitive environment are the greatest advantages of this. For the provision of tailor-made research that fits in with the specific requirements of a particular company, the BWI benefits from an excellently equipped laboratory and skilled personnel that carry out research projects for industry on a contractual basis.
BWI supports companies that want to take steps towards WAAM additive manufacturing of metals; from feasibility studies to integrating the technology into the production environment. Thanks to our expertise in welding techniques and the combination of academic research and industrialization knowledge, BWI can help companies with this.
Institute of Machining Technology ISF
at the Dortmund University
The Institute of Machining Technology (ISF) of the TU Dortmund University, headed by Professor Dr.-Ing. Dirk Biermann, has engaged since more than 40 years in research and education in all relevant machining processes and in the application of methods from computer science in machining. The examined processes include turning, drilling, deep-hole drilling, milling, grinding, honing, and blasting. Several of these processes are performed in the high-speed (HSC) or high-performance (HPC) range or are to be qualified for these highly productive techniques in current research activities. Furthermore, micromachining (for drilling and milling) and dry machining as well as minimal-quantity lubrication constitute central aspects of the research at ISF. The realization of virtual machining processes based on different modelling techniques and the optimization of production-related processes are also analysed comprehensively. These research areas represent a spectrum which ranges from projects of fundamental nature, i.e., in the context of publicly funded research, to application-oriented projects, which are worked on in direct cooperation with industrial partners.
The ISF is comprised of three research divisions (Machining Technology, Grinding Technology, Simulation and Process Design). These three divisions are supported by employees of the extensively equipped electronic and measuring laboratories (including hard- and software), by sample preparation, and with regard to the business managing of research projects by an internal accounting and purchasing department.
Within the TU Dortmund University, there are strong connections to several chairs of mechanical engineering and to departments located in other faculties. Close relations within the German research community are maintained especially with institutes and chairs from production engineering which are members of the WGP (German Academic Society for Production Engineering) and with research institutes from materials engineering as well as with different Fraunhofer-Institutes. In the field of machining technology, the ISF contributes to several working groups and standardization committees (DIN, VDI, FWF, DGM, FVA).
SUPERVISES AND FINANCES PARTNERS
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