Materials and Manufacturing

The research focus of our Institute covers the entire spectrum of production research, ranging from materials to product development, business and production processes and even to human factors. In the fields of lightweight construction, engineering, risk management and logistics, the Institute’s Chairs cooperate in a close interdisciplinary manner.
In a concerted effort to promote the development of innovative lightweight components, our R&D endeavours concentrate on manufacturing and processing innovative lightweight building materials. Specialty areas here include lightweight metal building materials, temperature-resistant materials, developing transforming and assembling processes, simulation techniques for new materials and combinations of materials, as well as durability and component safety issues. Application-oriented research projects in the field of lightweight construction are clustered in the Panta Rhei - Centre for Lightweight Construction Materials gGmbH.
In addition, planning, organisation and software development tasks are carried out successfully in connection with modelling, automation and regulation of manufacturing processes and logistical material flow issues. This field covers the entire product lifecycle, from the innovation phase, through manufacturing and even recycling, business administration and organisational aspects to quality management. In association with planning and organising modern work processes, technology-induced stress in man-machine interfaces is examined in both ergonomic and industrial psychology terms.