Press releases 2013

A novel material for the insulation of structures has considerably drawn attention during recent years: vacuum insulation panels (VIP). The technology is convincing: the principle of a thermos flask is transferred to the thermal insulation of buildings. Through the use of VIP the heat transport is minimized by a vacuum inside the highly porous supporting structure.

The Center for Battery Research is happy to report another success! 8 million Euros federal funds will go to the state capital Dresden within the next three years. These funds are being used to advance the research in material science and process engineering in the field of energy storage systems. With the federal funds scientists from non-university research centers and the TU Dresden can be financed for 72 man-years (864 man-month). The joint project is coordinated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Eckhard Beyer, Fraunhofer IWS, Dresden.

In electrical machines excellent electro-magnetic properties are required for loss-reduced energy conversion of electrical into kinetic energy and vice versa. Due to their high flexibility, electrical sheet laser processing techniques become more and more important. No additional costs and setup times are caused, a fact, which facilitates short change-of-product times. Furthermore the engineer gains completely new options to design rotor and stator lamination.

Prof. Lasagni is honored with the Masing Memorial Prize for his successful research into the industrial applications of laser technology. He is a professor in the field of industrial engineering at the Technische Universität Dresden and heads the research group “Surface Functionalization” at the Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff und Strahltechnik IWS Dresden. The prize was presented in Bochum at the DGM-general meeting on May 23, 2013.

For the very first time the Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik (IWS) Dresden will present its novel coaxial laser wire deposition head COAXwire for high precision metal deposition procedures at the tradeshow Laser World of Photonics 2013 in Munich (hall C2, booth 330). This novel approach is most suitable for the generation and repair of components as well as for the functionalization of surfaces.

Lasers have long been able to do what traditional welding guns can. Nevertheless, many manufacturers did not dare employ the delicate technology in the raw environment of their assembly floors. At LASER 2013 (Hall C2, Booth 330), researchers will be demonstrating that lasers are robust enough to take over welding duties in fabrication.

The EU-funded project PLIANT (Process Line Implementation for Applied Surface Nanotechnologies) focuses on the fabrication of aligned carbon nanotubes on electrode surfaces in a roll-to-roll procedure. The high surface, ordered structure and high electrical conductivity of these binder-free electrodes are particularly advantageous, when applied in batteries and capacitors. Increased energy and performance densities directly mirror these advantageous properties. Based on these materials, future high-capacity lithium-sulfur batteries and efficient capaci-tors are being developed.

A large proportion of the energy we produce disappears unused into thin air via waste heat. Tiny thermoelectric generators can tap this potential, whereby the electricity is produced by way of temperature differences. However, so far their production has been laborious and expensive. At the same time there is a lack of suitable materials. At the Hannover trade fair researchers are now presenting a new manufacturing process with which these generators can be cost-effectively produced in the form of large-area flexible components from non-toxic synthetic materials (hall 3, booth D25).

Electric cars have still got it tough in the German marketplace. They are too expensive and their range is too short. This is an opportune time for a breakthrough in efficient and low-cost lithium-sulfur batteries.

Precise temperature calibration is of utmost importance to the quality of numerous short-term heat treatment processes. At the Hannover Messe HMI (hall 6, booth B33), taking place from April 8 -12, 2013, Fraunhofer IWS engineers will present novel temperature measuring devices for laser hardening processes, which can be calibrated and recalibrated by the operator directly and on-site.