Research Areas

On the basis of thorough market observations, in-depth life-cycle assessments and individual feasibility studies, various approaches to the problem, tailored to the specific requirements of your organization and of the sector in which you operate, will be drawn up and presented to you. You will be in a position to recognize any risks at an early stage in the process and to avoid them before embarking on any costly implementation.

All of the activities undertaken by the Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing revolve around the areas of pivotal importance to us: Engineering, Materials, Technologies and Quality. A diverse range of areas of expertise and numerous development concepts were collated and structured in the run-up to the reorientation of the Competence Field. 

Over the past years, our clients have placed their trust in us and have drawn on the following core areas of expertise pursued by the institutes which form the competence field:  

Materials research provides answers to current issues in the fields of energy, health, mobility, information and communication technologies as well as in construction and housing. Modern lightweight materials save cost and energy, ceramic micro fuel cells power electronic devices and new materials from renewable resources reduce the environmental pollution.

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In product development companies are confronted with constantly changing markets. To achieve integrated production processes, it is important to accurately analyze all the processes and technologies involved in the product life cycle and to optimally synchronize the production processes. The Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing offers sophisticated and reproducible processes as well as customized systems for your applications and products.

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By taking nature as a role model, scientists develop ideas and products that can be specifically adapted to environmental conditions. This method allows us to specifically influence the behavior of mechanical structures: reducing the weight, increasing the stiffness or actively controlling the shape. Using the right design methodology in early stages of the development process makes it possible to provide great progress in terms of product quality.

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In order to improve the reliability and shape accuracy of all products generated by addititve manufacturing, we develop individual security systems for your entire product development process.
Using its long-term and cross-sector expertise, the Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing supports you in integrating quality assurance tools as well as in installing and optimizing your quality management systems.

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Additive manufacturing is closely linked to the digital control of the manufacturing process: components are manufactured directly on the basis of a digital representation. Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing develops algorithms to control additive manufacturing processes, for example to specifically design the optical properties of components, or to simulate individual process steps, e.g. to derive measures to reduce residual stresses and distortion.

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