It’s not enough to come up with processes and products on the laboratory scale or as functional samples for knocking on innovation in materials and components in industry.

This is the reason why the Fraunhofer Material and Components Group maintains a score of the technologies needed for producing prototypes, samples or even small-series production on an industrial scale thus providing the quantities on the level necessary for evaluation. If there are no technologies available for these purposes, the Group develops them itself.

From case to case, the chain of technology starts as early as in chemical reaction technology with the equipment required for preparations up to 100 l of volume and if not, then based upon microreaction technology. Both are eminent technologies applied to the synthesis of polymer and hybrid materials, ceramic precursors or oxide powders. There are powder and slurry preparation and sintering techniques available with all types of heating including HP and HIP for producing ceramic and powdermetallurgical components. Compounding, injection molding and extrusion for manufacturing components of polymers or fiber composites with a polymer matrix are processes also available on an industrial scale. Fiber composites and lignin derivatives (»artificial timber«) made of regenerative raw materials have the potential of penetrating into series production applications of lightweight engineering that are not exposed to outdoors weathering. The Group targets extending the service life of timber and construction materials sensitive to weathering (such as gypsum building boards) when used in façades.

The fiber component has a crucial impact on both the mechanical and functional properties of fiber composite materials, meaning that very special properties are often required for fibers (such as creep and oxidation resistance at extremely high temperatures, piezoelectric properties or decomposition in a biological milieu). The Group has a wide range of expertise in the specific manufacturing technologies of these fibers. Accessing the new applications in power engineering, traffic engineering, the life sciences and chemical separating technology is on the agenda of the next few years.

Novel casting technologies, rapid-protoyping processes and powder-metallurgical routes aim at nearnet  shape forming of metallic parts. These chains of technology also include new tools for integrating functional properties like material gradients, electrically conducting structures and magnetic signatures into components. Another focus is on components with cellular structures manufactured with foaming technologies or by sintering of hollow spheres.

Another key area of the Group’s work is separating and joining technologies where it applies its engineering knowledge in material mechanics to developing low-damage separating techniques for brittlefracturing materials (such as glass or silicon). The focus of joining technologies is adhesive technology. Soldering glasses are developed for joints exposed to heat and/or hermetically sealed joints.

The Group is in possession of the entire range of the wet chemical application techniques for inorganic and hybrid inorganic/organic coating products normally applied in painting technology. This includes using photolithography and embossing techniques for structuring with dimensions going down to the nanoscale range. Simultaneously, the Group devises vacuum- or gas-phase-supported techniques such as PVD, PECVD and plasmapolymerisation in consultation with the activities of the Fraunhofer Surface Technology and Photonics Group. This encompasses areas as hard wear protection layers or systematically adjusting the wetting behavior of surfaces.