External projects

The overall objective for iBUS is to develop and demonstrate by 2019 an innovative internet based business model for the sustainable supply of traditional toy and furniture products that is demand driven, manufactured locally and sustainably, meeting all product safety guide-lines, within the EU. The iBUS model focuses on the capture, creation and delivery of value for all stakeholders – consumers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process provides huge advantages for aircraft components like valve blocks and structural parts. In this project funded by the BMWi – “Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy”, the benefits of substituting conventionally manufactured parts by additively manufactured parts will be examined and quantified. The scopes are reducing costs, weight and time in comparison to the traditional design and the conventional manufacturing method.

The research project KitkAdd refers to the topic "Additive Manufacturing - Individualized Products, Complex Mass Products, Innovative Materials (ProMat_3D)" and was announced in the announcement of the BMBF on March 27, 2015. The project focuses on individualized products and complex mass products produced by additive manufacturing processes and aims to increase the economics of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) by combining it with established manufacturing processes. In order to achieve this, an interdisciplinary view of the areas of development, design, process chain integration and quality assurance will be focused.

The mechanical properties of thin-walled plastic components are limited. One approach of improving the strength is to apply individual adapted Fused-Deposition-Modelling-structures onto the thin-walled components. To achieve an optimal reinforcing effect, the properties of the FDM-structure must be optimized first. This project will focus on the variation of the FDM process parameters, because they have the most significant impact on the mechanical properties. The results of the parameter variation shall provide findings to develop design and process guidelines for FDM-structures that are used for the partial reinforcement of hybrid structures. Besides the mechanical properties, the lightweight potential of the FDM-structure must be considered, too.

The aim of this project is to investigate the requirements for materials and semi-finished products which are processed in extrusion deposition 3D printing processes. By gainig a better understanding of these processes, a knowledge base should be created, to increase the variety of materials that are available. This project is conducted in cooperation with Albis Plastic and under the NRW Fortschrittskolleg “Lightweight – Efficient – Mobile” (FK LEM). As one of the six Fortschrittkollegs established in 2014, the FK LEM is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The overall objective for OptiAMix is to develop various methods and tools for the introduction and use of additive manufacturing in the industrial environment. These include the development of a software for automated and multi-target-optimized component design, methods for the strategic-technical component selection, the derivation of design rules and component identification as well as a general integration methodology for additive manufacturing into companies.

Additive Manufacturing enables high innovation and absolutely new possibilities in design und structure for components of the aircraft cabin. The AM relevant work packages of VERONIKA (funded by the BMWi) aim to improve the planning-, design- and manufacturing processes for aircraft cabin parts. Within this project, the DMRC is responsible for analyzing the potentials of additive manufactured parts. Studies on AM processes, material for aircraft industries and design rules were created. Based on a case study several parts or assemblies have been selected and were optimized for lightweight, function and assembly integration or change in material. Finally, demonstrator parts are build and verified based on performance requirements as well as cost, time and quality.

This project is about the ability how to use AM components for forming processes. Innovative rupture discs shall be produced with a high-speed forming process called HGU (German: “Hochgeschwindigkeitsumformung – HGU). The challenge is to ensure a stable application even with small nominal sizes of the rupture discs. A significant innovation is the insertion of predetermined breaking points by secondary features in the forming process. These shall be implemented in a thermoplastic FDM die. Therefore, the development of a tool system with additively manufactured components (die and plunger) is planned for the production of innovative rupture discs. This will combine the advantages of a quasi-static and high-speed forming process in an innovative, efficient and unique tool system.