Meet FRAUNHOFER.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) is a driver for innovations in the research and development of production engineering. Around 670 highly qualified employees work at our locations in Chemnitz, Dresden, Leipzig, Wolfsburg, and Zittau. We open up the potential for competitive manufacturing in automotive and mechanical engineering, aerospace technology, medical engineering, electrical engineering, and precision and microengineering. We focus on scientific developments and contract research regarding components, processes, methods, and the associated complex machine systems and their interaction with humans – the entire factory.

As the leading institute for resource-efficient manufacturing, we bank on highly flexible, scalable cognitive production systems using nature as an example. We consider the entire process chain using regenerative systems and circular economy in this context. We develop technologies and intelligent production plants and optimize forming, cutting, and joining manufacturing steps. Our range of services includes the development of innovative lightweight structures and technologies for processing new materials, functional transfer to assembly groups, and the latest technologies of additive manufacturing (3D printing). We present approaches for large-scale production of essential hydrogen systems, thus contributing to the transition to renewable energies.

Our researchers rethink the factory of the future holistically to combine maximum added value and minimum use of resources: highly flexible and adaptive production scalable by the number of pieces, based on renewable energies. We demonstrate how digital planning processes and simulations allow for a particularly efficient factory design. We develop high-performance processes for highly flexible energy and load management to employ renewable energies effectively. Our reference factory.H2, with real plants and digital twins, offers numerous possibilities to enterprises of all sizes to contribute their competencies or to profit from customized processes and services to efficiently produce essential hydrogen components. Our applied research offers our partners measurable added value for their competitiveness. Manufacturing enterprises of all industries and sizes may rely on our innovative strength and over 30 years of expertise in optimizing production systems. Together with our partners, we are working on future production systems.

Fraunhofer IWU is a project partner in SALIENT, a program funded by the European Union to develop extraordinarily safe and lightweight front-end structures (FES) in vehicles. The new FES should also be integrated into material cycles to a greater extent than they are today. Ideally, these materials are reusable or at least recyclable. The front end of a vehicle, together with the front hatch, headlights, and radiator grille, forms the end of the front carriage. With the side member as the load-bearing structure, in particular, it has a considerable influence on the crash safety of the vehicle. In the SALIENT project, Fraunhofer IWU will contribute its manufacturing expertise and will lead the WP4. We will influence the product design of essential front-end components in terms of design, material selection and manufacturability as early as the concept phase (WP2 and WP3). To this end, our institute will produce prototypes and integrate components manufactured by partners into the model constructions (WP4). The goal is to create demonstrators for crash tests to determine their functional capability. Apart from that, the Fraunhofer IWU assumes the role of data manager and takes care of the development and implementation of an open science and data management plan (WP8).