MULTIMATERIAL Center Augsburg: The Innovation Lab for Additive Manufacturing

Fraunhofer IGCV has been working on several projects since 2017: In ten technology projects, additive manufacturing processes are being researched for the production of smart multi-material components. These components consist of several metal alloys and are also equipped with sensors and actuators directly during layer-by-layer assembly.

Additive manufacturing processes have been in vogue for years - the production of individual one-offs and function-optimized components in small batches represent major advances, particularly for mechanical and plant engineering, the aerospace industry, and the automotive industry. The additional manufacturing technology option of placing several metal alloys and sensors and actuators in one component opens up entirely new solution spaces for users. Fraunhofer IGCV recognized this potential early on and has since been researching additive manufacturing processes for the production of mechatronic multi-material components.

Based on the work initiated at the MULTIMATERIAL Center Augsburg, several bilateral and multilateral transfer projects have already been launched. Numerous studies or collaborative projects have been carried out, such as:

• with Siemens on the potential of multi-material processing in the well-known »fennel burner«
• with FESTO on the potential of sensor-integrated grippers
• with MAN Energy Solutions on multi-material injection nozzles for large engines
• with Vectoflow on sensor-integrated aerospace components
• with Schunk on wedge hooks in multi-material design
• with the Ariane Group, a specialist forum on establishing cold spraying as an additive manufacturing technology.

Impulse as well as technical contributions at industry events such as AMUG (Additive Manufacturing Users Group) in Chicago (USA) or Rapid.Tech (Erfurt) as well as several scientific publications also promoted the awareness of the MULTIMATERIAL center Augsburg. For the next project years, the more than 30 researchers involved in the project expect further great achievements.

The technological foundations that are being researched and created in Augsburg will ensure that Fraunhofer IGCV's industrial partners have a clear head start in the market. If you have your own application ideas in mind, please feel free to contact us.

The objectives of the project in the research areas of product development, process technology, and the process chain are obvious: The product development methods for multi-material components with integrated sensors and actuators and the corresponding expert knowledge are to be further expanded.

In addition, innovative concepts for production planning and control are needed for additive multi-material processing. The enablement of powder bed based additive manufacturing processes for multi-material processing with automated sensor-actuator integration is driven by Fraunhofer IGCV as well as the optimization of DED processes, in particular high-pressure cold gas spraying.