References

Project management from innovation management:

"The Fraunhofer IGCV was selected for the development of a flexible gripping system due to its existing expertise in the field of handling technology. Within one year, the project team developed a functional prototype, which after a six-month endurance test was transferred to the system standardization and could be used. The gripper enables a significant reduction in the number of grippers, investment, planning and integration time."

Covestro is one of the leading suppliers of pultrusion resins based on polyurethane. We are constantly striving to further develop these and adapt them to the current requirements of our customers and the markets. In addition to development work in the laboratory, an important development step for us is to test the resin systems on a pultrusion line on an industrial scale. We implement this at the Fraunhofer IGCV. Thanks to the dedicated and competent commitment of the IGCV staff, we are able to test our new developments extensively under real operating conditions. The IGCV employees not only contribute their comprehensive pultrusion expertise to the discussions of results, but also make a valuable contribution to the development and optimization of the developments.

With the active support of the scientific field Composites of the Fraunhofer IGCV, the course for the Certified Industrial Master Craftsman in Plastics and Rubber Fiber Composite Technology could be professionally developed according to the new examination regulations. Some of the scientific staff are also involved as lecturers in this course in the transfer of knowledge in the subject areas of materials and production processes. Thanks to this professional support from the Fraunhofer IGCV, the IHK Akademie Schwaben can guarantee its course participants the best possible transfer of knowledge.

As part of a long-term cooperation with Fraunhofer IGCV, we successfully integrated additive manufacturing processes into the development of large diesel engines at the Augsburg site. During the project, the potential of additive manufacturing was worked out and demonstrated on concrete products. Cross-divisional employees were qualified to exploit this innovative manufacturing technology's opportunities and to assess the risks in a well-founded manner. Our cooperation appointment with Fraunhofer IGCV brought us extensive expertise and enabled us to implement it into our products.
As a company headquartered in Augsburg, we greatly appreciate having a renowned production technology research institution, like Fraunhofer IGCV, in the local area.

Elisabeth Schweikardt (Materials Engineer):

"Selecting Fraunhofer IGCV was a clear choice due to the institute’s reputation for its remarkable expertise in additive manufacturing technologies in the industry.”

Karen Bugge, Project OpenServ4P:

„We have been involved in research projects about industry 4.0 and energy management with Fraunhofer IGCV since 2012 on a regular basis. The numerous innovative impulses from the employees always result in concepts and solutions that integrate into our range of services very well and allow for developing new areas of application. Again and again we are impressed by the high commitment and the creativity of all our contacts at Fraunhofer."

Dr. Michael Thierschmann (Vice President Manufacturing & Quality):

„For VOITH Hydro, the project 'Inspection process analysis and optimized quality inspection concept' resulted in a very systematic analysis of the different dimension measuring methods used. Based on this project we started to create operating procedures for obligatory inspection methods in order to standardize in this field and therefore save costs.“

Ulrich Begemann (Head of New Technologies):

"For some years now, the IGCV has been a valuable advisor for us in the fields of Industry 4.0, robotics, CFRP manufacturing, additive manufacturing and production technology. The proven competence of its employees as well as the pragmatic and target-oriented cooperation has led us to handle numerous projects with the IGCV in the past. This has resulted in a short line to many key players, which is often very helpful in day-to-day business."

Heiko Frank (leading project management expert), Projekt CyProS:

„With excellent expert knowledge in automation and control engineering Fraunhofer IGCV provided proof that it is possible to realize the digitization of production processes with means available today.
The employees' approach was at any time analytical, systematical, deliberate, and very responsible. That way Fraunhofer IGCV made a valuable contribution to the success of the CyProS project and the more than positive image effect for all companies of the syndicate.“