Press Releases

As of July 1, 2022, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfram Volk has taken over the position of Executive Director from Prof.-Dr.-Ing. Klaus Drechsler, a position that rotates every three years. As planned, the latter will remain part of the institute management of the Fraunhofer Institute for Foundry, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV together with Prof.-Dr. Ing. Rüdiger Daub.

To reduce the CO2 footprint, the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV Augsburg research with a state-of-the-art wetlaid nonwoven machine for recycling carbon fibers. The production processes are similar to those of a paper manufacturing machine. The crucial difference: we turn not paper fibers into the paper but recycled carbon fibers into nonwoven roll fabrics. The carbon fiber thus gets a second life and finds an environmentally friendly way in nonwovens, such as door panels, engine bonnets, roof structures, underbody protection (automotive), and heat shields (helicopter tail boom), as well as in aircraft interiors.

The next Fraunhofer DDMC will be in Berlin from March 15-16, 2023. It is an innovative forum for discourse on additive manufacturing. Leading experts in 3D printing will discuss innovative applications and current challenges. Abstracts can be submitted until May 31, 2022!

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft strongly condemns Russia's belligerent actions against Ukraine. Our solidarity goes out to all those affected and to all those who reject and condemn this war.

How can furniture and interiors be produced using casting technology and additive manufacturing? In the winter semester of 2021/22, students of the Faculty of Design at the University of Applied Sciences Munich and researchers at Fraunhofer IGCV dealt with this question. In the collaborative project »Design goes Casting«, the students were allowed to get creative and produce corresponding designs.

Three Fraunhofer institutes (including Fraunhofer IGCV, Fraunhofer IPT, and Fraunhofer IAPT), together with ETH Zurich and in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, published a white paper that identifies untapped potential in additive manufacturing. Published on Jan. 20, 2022, the document »An Additive Manufacturing Breakthrough: A How-to Guide for Scaling and Overcoming Key Challenges« is intended to address the manufacturing industry and policy leaders from the World Economic Forum network.

The Augsburg AI Production Network's groundbreaking research will take place in 7,000 m² of space in the future. The rental agreement for the research facility, which will enable research to be scaled from laboratory to industrial scale, has been signed. This will create a technology platform for the AI Production Network, providing space for research on production facilities with an industrial level of complexity.

Exactly two years after the foundation stone was laid, the new Casting Technology Laboratory of Fraunhofer IGCV in Garching was inaugurated on October 13, 2021. “A place for research and cooperation”, “Strengthening Germany as a production location” – much praise and recognition were expressed during numerous greetings and celebratory speeches. The guests were impressed by the new building, which in the future will provide a home for research at every step of the casting process: from mold production to the finishing process.

Highly complex components are installed in the nacelles of offshore wind turbines. A suitable production method is the additive manufacturing of sand molds for metal casting. In the future, components for the nacelle of GE's Haliade-X offshore turbine will come directly from a 3D printer. To this end, the company is cooperating with the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV and voxeljet AG. Together, the partners are developing the world's largest 3D printer for offshore wind turbines.

Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric (CASE): These are the four mega trends, that according to a current Frost & Sullivan study [1], drive the transformation in the commercial transport industry toward greater sustainability and safety in the coming years. By 2030, one in two new trucks could be equipped with green powertrain technology. To meet this demand in an economically sustainable manner, manufacturers of these trucks will have to rethink their assembly processes and make them more flexible. Such solutions are currently being researched at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV: Within the »eTruckPro« project, scientists work with industrial partners from the automotive and commercial vehicle sectors to develop adaptable production systems. These make it possible to assemble electric and conventional trucks on a single standard line.