Press Releases

Fraunhofer Waste4Future flagship project: Revamped plastics recycling chain

Research News / March 01, 2024

Andreas Keller, Wissenschaftler aus dem Waste4Future-Konsortium am Demonstrator.
© Holger Jacoby
Andreas Keller, research scientist (Fraunhofer IZFP) from the Waste4Future consortium, shows off the demonstration model.

These days, the majority of consumable and everyday items are made from petroleum-based plastic. In Germany alone, some six million tons of plastic waste are generated every year. Approximately half of this is mechanically recycled into new materials; the rest is used for energy recovery. Incinerating this waste releases CO2, a greenhouse gas. So from a climate and environmental protection point of view, it is important to keep more plastics in the materials cycle. As part of the Waste4Future flagship project, eight Fraunhofer institutes are developing new ideas and processes to significantly improve the mechanical recycling rate for plastic materials. Please read more ...

Unlocking the Future of Manufacturing: Introducing “SeConRob“ Project

Saarbrücken, January 10, 2024

© Safe Metal SA

Imagine a world where manufacturing becomes smarter, more efficient, and remarkably innovative. It's no longer just a vision; it's a reality with the unveiling of the groundbreaking “SeConRob“ project (Self-configuring Multi-Step Robotic Workflows). This exciting initiative, supported by Horizon Europe, is set to transform the manufacturing landscape from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2026, with a budget of €2,992,178. We are delighted to introduce you to the key players behind this innovation – PROFACTOR GmbH (Austria), Safe Metal (France), Otto Fuchs (Germany), ACS (Germany), ECL (France), Fraunhofer IZFP (Germany) and Marposs (Italy). Please read more ...

Distributed sensor electronics for energy-efficient and predictive maintenance of structures

Saarbrücken, September 12, 2023

© ImaB-Edge

Against the background of an aging infrastructure, determining the condition of critical structures such as bridges, sewage treatment plants or dams is becoming increasingly important in Germany in order to maintain public safety. But industrial sites also depend on a functioning infrastructure for economic reasons. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding “ImaB-Edge“ with approx. 5.6 million euros. Please read more ...

Fraunhofer IZFP @ CONTROL 2023: Intelligent assistance system “3D-SmartInspect“ with interactive visualization for laboratory and service tasks

Saarbrücken, April 25, 2023

© Fraunhofer IZFP / Uwe Bellhäuser
Augmented reality assistance system used to support manual testing of components or large surfaces

A planned service life of structures can only be achieved if the quality-assured execution of construction measures and the necessary maintenance measures during the service life phase are coordinated. This is why, it is usually necessary to record component-specific characteristic values non-destructively and with high accuracy of the measured value recording and localization. How this works will be presented by experts of the Fraunhofer IZFP from May 9 to 12, 2023 at the 35th Control in Stuttgart (Hall 7, Booth 7301) with “3D-SmartInspect“, the intelligent assistance system for digitizing manual inspection. Please read more...

Archive Press Releases

New Fraunhofer Center for Sensor Intelligence in Saarland

Saarbrücken, February 23, 2022

© Staatskanzlei/AK
Saarland’s Minister President Tobias Hans and the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, signed an agreement today to establish the Fraunhofer Center for Sensor Intelligence.

Saarland’s Minister President Tobias Hans and the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, signed an agreement today to establish the Fraunhofer Center for Sensor Intelligence. It will address the entire innovation chain in the pioneering field of intelligent sensor technology, bring together core areas of expertise from the regional research landscape and develop them further. The center will be housed in a new building on the campus of Saarland University as part of a joint project between the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT and the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP. Please read more ...

Innovative artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to shorten aircraft development times

Saarbrücken, March 9, 2022

© pixabay

Good things come to those who wait, as the saying goes. But wait no more! Shorter product development timeframes not only save time and money, but also improve competitiveness. This can be achieved with faster and more efficient testing processes. Fatigue tests [Ermüdungsversuche (EF)] on completed aircraft take up a significant portion of the time spent on aircraft development and certification. The aim is to reduce the time between the start of the project and certification from around eight years down to five. The ”F-REE” (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft RapidEF Enablers) project is working to develop and optimize innovative AI processes for use in industrial environments. Its main focus is on accelerating and significantly improving the reliability of testing processes. Doing so will also circumvent the time-intensive process of manually interpreting recorded data. Please read more ...

50 years of Fraunhofer IZFP – 50 years of Fraunhofer top research in Saarland

Saarbrücken, June 3, 2022

© Fraunhofer IZFP / Uwe Bellhäuser

In the attendance of numerous high-ranking guests, the 50th anniversary of Fraunhofer IZFP was celebrated with a large ceremony in the auditorium of Saarland University. Around 130 guests from politics, business, industry and research accepted the invitation. Please read more ...

Bernd Valeske appointed executive director of Fraunhofer IZFP and professor of cognitive sensor systems at Saarland University

Saarbrücken, June 27, 2022

© Miriam Gabriel / Saarländisches Ministerium der Finanzen und für Wissenschaft

In a joint appointment process between the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Saarland University, Bernd Valeske was selected for a dual role: After his recent appointment as the executive director of Fraunhofer IZFP in Saarbrücken, he has now also been awarded the professorship for cognitive sensor systems at the university. Both measures are intended to strengthen collaboration between both institutions and to advance joint projects in engineering sciences. Please read more ...

Fraunhofer IZFP @ EuroBLECH 2022: Quality assurance and reliable identification of sheet metal parts in production

Saarbrücken, October 13, 2022

© Fraunhofer IZFP / Uwe Bellhäuser

Time-consuming destructive inspection processes for quality assurance result in huge costs due to damage or destruction of the products. Process deviations that are detected too late can lead to a considerable amount of scrap. Furthermore, clear identification and complete traceability of each object at any time during processing enables the optimization of product quality and resource efficiency, thus being essential prerequisites for the development of self-organizing value chains (I4.0). Fraunhofer IZFP experts will present solutions to both problems at EuroBLECH in Hannover from October 25 to 28, 2022 (Hall 27, Booth E8). Please read more ...

What do “gecko feet“ and intelligent robotic gripping systems have in common?

Saarbrücken, December 9, 2022

© NEXT. robotics, INNOCISE
In the research project “GecKI“, funded by the BMBF, the project consortium wants to develop intelligent and energy-efficient adhesive systems based on nature's model.

No wall is too steep for them, they walk upside down on ceilings, their fine-haired feet stick better than any professional glue without leaving any traces, and they defy gravity: the feet of geckos! They are of equal interest to researchers in materials science and in AI research. This effect of the gecko's feet is now to be exploited in the joint project “GecKI“ to develop energy-efficient, auto-adaptive and product-independent adhesive pads for robotic gripping systems. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding “GecKI“ with approx. 1.5 million euros. Please read more ...

Intelligent pig games: The “SmartPigHome” research project receives 1.6 million euros in funding

Vechta/Saarbrücken, November 2021

© chadin - stock.adobe.com
Development of an interactive sensor system focused on animal welfare and stimulating the natural curiosity and intelligence of the pigs.

The German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is supporting the SmartPigHome project with 1.6 million euros as part of the Federal Program for Livestock Husbandry. The joint project involves the development of an interactive game system focused on animal welfare, creating a smart barn environment for pigs and optimizing it as the “mood in the barn” changes.

With the SmartPigHome joint project, the consortium is developing an interactive game system focused on animal welfare. The system will analyze the barn environment and then provide digital activities for the pigs. The process will take into account environmental factors such as air quality, temperature and light levels, and sensors installed in the barn will also monitor animal activity, noise and lying patterns. AI-based algorithms trained by vets and farmers are used to connect and interpret the data, forming the basis to actively manage an interactive barn environment. Please read more ...

SWO Netz installs smart wall anchors: Fraunhofer IZFP research project in Osnabrück

Osnabrück/Saarbrücken, September 7, 2021

© Christoph Weingard
Wall anchor sensor of Fraunhofer IZFP

They are unassuming and can thus almost be overlooked - but in the future they can possibly be used thousands of times in Germany to save human lives. We are talking about intelligent sensors for monitoring wall anchors, which have now been installed in Große Straße in Osnabrück, Germany.

The small gray boxes have now been mounted on the L&T building in Grosse Strasse and finally connected to the wire rope that holds the street lighting in Osnabrück's pedestrian zone, both with the help of a hydraulic lift. The special nature of the boxes can only be seen inside them: A novel sensor system continuously records data on loads and movements of the anchors, transmitting it via the LoRaWAN radio network of the public utility. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP can read this data and determine whether the anchors are still safe. If not, an automatic message is generated. Please read more ...

Today's waste becomes tomorrow's resource: “Waste4Future“ paves new ways for plastics recycling

May 04, 2021

© Fraunhofer IMWS

A sustainable society with climate-neutral processes requires significant adjustments in the value chains, which are only possible through innovations. Seven Fraunhofer Institutes are pooling their expertise in the lighthouse project “Waste4Future“ to develop new solutions for this goal, from the raw material base to material flows and process engineering right to the end of a product's life cycle. In particular, they want to increase energy and resource efficiency in the use of plastics and thus pave the way for a chemical industry that requires fewer fossil raw materials and produces fewer emissions. Please read more ...

How Do We Want to Run Our Economy and Production?

December 16, 2020:

Hydroponik
© Fraunhofer EMB
The treated nutrient-rich wastewater from the wastewater treatment plant is used in the EVOBIO project for the hydroponic cultivation of lettuce.

The wastewater treatment plant is turned into a vegetable farm, bio-based substances recovered from waste are being utilized to prevent oxidative spoilage in food packaging or provide environmentally-friendly and safe water-repellent coatings on functional textiles. In the EVOBIO project coordinated by Fraunhofer IGB, 19 Fraunhofer Institutes are working on solutions for a sustainable economy by developing new concepts that utilize material flows in bioeconomy process cycles to produce optimized materials for innovative products.  Please read more ...

”Vivid” images for improved quality assurance of steel components

Saarbrücken, April 30, 2020:

© Fraunhofer IZFP
Schematic diagram of BiWa-MOS

Parents-to-be are familiar with them – ultrasound images of their unborn child: Pin sharp and brilliant, they convey an almost photo-realistic level of detail and a deep impression of the child in the womb. The Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP is researching and developing a technology to bring this kind of vivid images to industrial applications: As part of a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), scientists of the research institute in Saarbrücken have started to develop a novel imaging method that will generate vivid images of microstructural changes and stress distributions in real time. This technology will provide significant information on the load capacity and lifetime of steel components in a completely new way. Please read more ...

TU Ilmenau and Fraunhofer IZFP develop intelligent sensor technology for processing Big Data

Saarbrücken, October 23, 2019:

Giovanni Del Galdo and Florian Römer from “SigMaSense”, Randolf Hanke (Fraunhofer IZFP), Rector Peter Scharff and Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee (from left) present the new perspectives for Ilmenau.
© TU Ilmenau
Giovanni Del Galdo and Florian Römer from “SigMaSense”, Randolf Hanke (Fraunhofer IZFP), Rector Peter Scharff and Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee (from left) present the new perspectives for Ilmenau.

The Ilmenau University of Technology is intensifying its research efforts in order to master the rapidly growing amount of data in the course of digitization. The novel idea for ”intelligent” sensors: Record required data for the respective work process at an early stage and thus reduce the quantity to be processed. In order to achieve the ambitious research objectives, TU Ilmenau is planning a new professorship in collaboration with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, which in turn will intensify the activities of its established research group SigMaSense. The Free State of Thuringia is supporting these activities this year with 150,000 euros. On 21 October 2019, Thuringia's Science Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee at TU Ilmenau also announced further support for the expansion of the research group and its establishment as a branch office of the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP in Saarbrücken with a total of up to 2.4 million euros from 2021. Please read more ...

Under scrutiny: Automated induction thermography for surface crack testing of forgings

Saarbrücken, August 23, 2019:

Inspection head for automated detection of surface defects in forged steel parts. Inset bottom left: Thermographic indication of a crack.
© Fraunhofer IZFP
Inspection head for automated detection of surface defects in forged steel parts. Inset bottom left: Thermographic indication of a crack.

Within the framework of a project funded by the ”Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen” AiF (”Consortium of Industrial Research Associations”), Fraunhofer IZFP scientists investigate the reliability of the automated application of the thermographic crack detection method: After positive validation, this technology is to find better acceptance as an alternative to the established magnetic particle inspection. Using this method, surface-related defects such as cracks in forged parts can be determined quickly, objectively and in a resource-saving manner while the results can be stored and documented in detail. This study is intended to confirm the increased inspection reliability compared to current standard procedures. The resulting optimized economic efficiency of this new procedure will significantly contribute to the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Please read more ...

Fraunhofer IZFP at GIFA 2019: Robot-assisted sensor system for the quality monitoring of hybrid parts and components

Saarbrücken, June 13, 2019:

Robot-assisted sensor system for the nondestructive inspection of hybrid cast components, which can easily be integrated into the quality monitoring of production processes.
© Fraunhofer IZFP
Robot-assisted sensor system for the nondestructive inspection of hybrid cast components, which can easily be integrated into the quality monitoring of production processes.

Within the framework of quality monitoring of lightweight construction components intelligent sensor systems become crucial: In many industries, especially in aerospace engineering and automotive industry, the use of forward-looking hybrid designs based on fiber composites and light metals is steadily rising. Material defects in the final product may result in early malfunction, thus, impairing the safe use of the product. From 25-29 June 2019, at the 14th International Foundry Trade Fair in Düsseldorf, Fraunhofer IZFP scientists will introduce a robot-assisted sensor system for the nondestructive inspection of hybrid cast components, which can easily be integrated into the quality monitoring of production processes (hall 13, booth A34).
Please read more ...

Material inspection made easy: Fraunhofer scientists develop universally applicable broadband eddy current electronics

Saarbrücken, April 9, 2019:

inspECT-PRO: Broadband multi-channel multi-frequency eddy current inspection electronics for multiple applications; inspection of weakly electrically conductive materials such as carbon fibers (CFRP)
© Fraunhofer IZFP / Uwe Bellhäuser
inspECT-PRO: Broadband multi-channel multi-frequency eddy current inspection electronics for multiple applications; inspection of weakly electrically conductive materials such as carbon fibers (CFRP)

Current developments in the field of industry 4.0 such as the digitalization of production plants and processes provide massive new challenges to nondestructive inspection technologies. Fraunhofer IZFP scientists in Saarbrücken have developed a novel eddy current platform, which is able to operate currently necessary interfaces. As a consequence, the platform can easily be integrated into digitization concepts. As part of a multimodal electronics series, experts from this Saarland research institute present the inspECT-PRO eddy current platform at the 33rd Control in Stuttgart from 7 to 10 May 2019 (hall 6, booth 6301). Please read more ...

A sensor system learns to "hear": Reliable detection of failures in machines and systems

Saarbrücken, December 5, 2018:

The sensor system inspects the rotating cutting unit of a combine harvester for defective vibrations or noises by means of structure-borne sound sensors (detailed view of the sensor see right image) and microphones.
© Fraunhofer IZFP / Uwe Bellhäuser
The sensor system inspects the rotating cutting unit of a combine harvester for defective vibrations or noises by means of structure-borne sound sensors (detailed view of the sensor see right image) and microphones.

Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP in Saarbrücken have developed a sensor system that can detect failures or imperfections in systems and machines quickly and reliably by means of an acoustic noise assessment similar to human hearing. The "hearing" sensor system AcoustiX has already been successfully deployed by John Deere, the American global market leader in the fields of agricultural engineering, to inspect the cutting units of combine harvesters. Please read more ...

Robot-assisted sensor system for quality assurance of press-hardened components

Saarbrücken, October 17, 2018:

Realizing robot-assisted inspection of steel sheets for mechanical properties (residual stresses, etc.) by micromagnetic procedures (3MA).
© Fraunhofer IZFP / Uwe Bellhäuser
Realizing robot-assisted inspection of steel sheets for mechanical properties (residual stresses, etc.) by micromagnetic procedures (3MA).

In many industrial sectors, material defects in the final product can lead to premature failure and impair their safe use. Intelligent, nondestructive sensor systems play a key role in quality assurance: without damaging the material itself or changing the surface, components or parts can be inspected quickly and cost-effectively during the production process. From 23 to 26 October 2018, experts from Fraunhofer IZFP will present a robot-assisted sensor system providing quality monitoring as integral element of production processes at EuroBLECH in Hanover (hall 11, booth A25). Please read more ...

Permanent condition monitoring at the push of a button

Saarbrücken, August 27, 2018:

© Katharina Wieland Müller, pixelio

Notably car drivers are affected: Long traffic jams or reroutings due to protracted restoration works on bridges – frequently even being on too late as some of the bridges yet are in danger of collapse and thus being – in the worst case – subject of demolition. But why not intervening and sanifying at an early state? That’s what engineers of Fraunhofer IZFP have thought about and, as a result, developed an intelligent, modular monitoring platform as a fast and cost-effective corrective to-be. Please read more ...

Researchers want to make the inspection of threaded connections safer by using standardized ultrasound methods

Saarbrücken, July 23, 2018:

© Fotolia / pichitstocker
A test engineer is inspecting safety-critical threaded connections on a drilling platform. Scientists are to make threaded connections installed in the field safer by means of a stadardized method.

Safety-critical threaded connections in the energy generation sector, e.g., for wind turbines, on drilling platforms, or in industrial plants pose the highest requirements for reliable and precise status monitoring. Scientists from the Fraunhofer IZFP and the Institut für Werkstoffkunde (IfW) are currently developing a standardized, cross-industry method whose use is expected to significantly improve the inspection of screws installed in the field.  Please read more ...

Holistic materials characterization of plastics and fiber composites: three Fraunhofer institutes are bundling their competences

Saarbrücken, March 2, 2018:

© Fraunhofer IWM
Long fiber-reinforced battery box

Collaborating and networking - this is the contemporary response to the technological and scientific challenges of our times, which are becoming ever more complex. This is the reason why the Fraunhofer Institutes for Nondestructive Testing IZFP, for Mechanics of Materials IWM, and for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF are now bundling their competences. It will allow them to provide a comprehensive portfolio for holistic material characterization of plastics and fiber composites for component design. The collaboration comprises both the scientific approach and the industrial application of the solutions found. The advantage of such networking: clients will be provided with a combined, validated concept for their design and measuring methods instead of getting individual components. In their new collaboration, the three institutes will welcome cooperation with partners with whom they can work on challenging scientific issues in joint projects. Please read more ...

Launch of ADVISE - a EURATOM research project aiming at advancing the ultrasonic inspection of complex structured materials

Saarbrücken, December, 2017:

In recent years, there has been increasing concern for safe long-term operation of existing European nuclear power plants. The ultrasonic inspection of corrosion resistant alloys used in these plants – in particular claddings, austenitic welds and cast austenitic steels – is a long standing issue in the field of nuclear non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT and NDE). For these materials, a complex microstructure is responsible for both structural noise and attenuation, thus degrading the performance of ultrasonic nondestructive testing. Please read more ...

Fraunhofer researchers develop measuring system for ZF factory in Saarbrücken

Saarbrücken, November 21, 2017:

At left: Partially automated system for measuring the weld seam geometry of output shafts for the automatic 8-speed passenger car transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Saarbrücken factory; Below: Analysis/results image for an output shaft

Modern and forward-looking manufacturing processes are essential building blocks for a company's economic success and efficiency. Production processes must be optimized continuously and intelligently under the aspects of resource savings, quality, and cost. A new measuring system developed by experts from the Fraunhofer IZFP is expected to increase productivity, significantly reduce material and test scrap, as well as provide support for optimizing production processes in transmission production at ZF Friedrichshafen AG's factory in Saarbrücken / Saarland. Please read more ...

Ultrasound sensors make forage harvesters more reliable

Saarbrücken, August 28, 2017:

© Fraunhofer IZFP / Uwe Bellhäuser
John Deere 8000 Series forage harvester Weld seam testing on blade holder using “LinScanDuo 2.0“

Harvesting machinery must function without failures during the entire harvest season, for any interruption in operation will result in considerable economic losses for farmers and contractors. To increase reliability and thus, the concomitant maximum efficiency and productivity, engineers and scientists from the Fraunhofer IZFP in Saarbrücken have developed a quality assurance system for forage harvesters: The semi-automatic “LinScanDuo 2.0“ ultrasound testing system is already successfully operating at the John Deere factory in Zweibrücken. Please read more ...

Fraunhofer IZFP acquires lucrative EU project for increasing nuclear power plant safety

Saarbrücken, Juni 21, 2017:

© Thorsten Schier - Fotolia
Grohnde/Lower Saxony nuclear power plant

In the European Union, about 200 nuclear power plants that feed electricity into the grids are currently in operation. Extending their period of operation will require reliable technology systems for calculating the residual life of the reactor components; the safety of existing nuclear power plants thus continues to remain a relevant research topic. An EU project that will make a significant contribution to ensuring long-term safety of nuclear power plant operation has recently been acquired by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP in Saarbrücken. Please read more ...

Enhanced safety by nondestructive testing of cable insulation in European nuclear power plants

Saarbrücken, April 3, 2017:

© eyetronic - Fotolia
Nuclear Power Plant

Despite the German phase-out from nuclear power, this technology still plays a major role in Europe. Due to this fact, it is all the more important for Germany to be able to assess the condition of international nuclear power plants. In a nuclear power plant (NPP) an average of 25,000 cables with a total length of 1,500 km are installed. These cables are partially exposed to harsh environmental conditions such as increased temperature or radiation: Under these circumstances, the cable insulation deteriorates with the risk of cracks occurring as a result of embrittlement. How can nondestructive procedures detect possible fatigue processes of the cables at an early stage? And how can these procedures be brought in line with practical aspects? A team of engineers and scientists at Fraunhofer IZFP in Saarbrucken is working on these questions. Please read more ...

Website TeaM Cables

Fraunhofer IZFP celebrates 45 years in Saarland

Saarbrücken, March 6, 2017:

© Fraunhofer IZFP/Tom Gundelwein
Fraunhofer IZFP leadership team

The creation of Saarland's first public research institute will be celebrated for the 45th time in March 2017. Although established long ago, Fraunhofer IZFP has remained young and modern, which can be seen in a new strategic alignment that is shifting the institute's focus from traditional nondestructive testing services to leading-edge self-learning sensor and monitoring systems modeled on the concepts of Big Data and Industry 4.0 currently being promoted by the German government. Please read more ...

Looking inside materials the smart way

Saarbrücken, February 9, 2017:

© Fraunhofer IZFP/Tom Gundelwein
3D SmartInspect

Aircraft, trains and power plants have to be inspected regularly. Detecting damage too late could pose safety risks and often results in expensive downtimes. Now, researchers are using the 3D SmartInspect sensor and inspection system to transfer established testing routines into tomorrow’s digital world.

  • Detecting material defects in structures susceptible to wear such as in technical installations or in aircraft components is a difficult process: inspectors completely rely on their own experience.
  • The 3D SmartInspect system offers help for the future.
  • Fraunhofer researchers will be presenting the new technology at the Hannover Messe Preview on February 9 and at the Hannover Messe, April 24–28, 2017 (Hall 2, Booth C22). Please read more ...

Flyer 3D SmartInspect

 

Permanent Condition Monitoring at the Push of a Button

Saarbrücken, December 15, 2016:

© Christophe Marcheux, GNU/Wikimedia Commons
Viaduc de Millau, France

Notably car drivers are affected: Long traffic jams or reroutings due to protracted restoration works on bridges – frequently even being on too late as some of the bridges yet are in danger of collapse and thus being – in the worst case – subject of demolition. But why not intervening and sanifying at an early state? That’s what engineers of Fraunhofer IZFP have thought about and, as a result, developed an intelligent, modular monitoring platform as a fast and cost-effective corrective to-be. From January 16 to 21, 2017, Fraunhofer IZFP will present its new development at the Munich construction trade show BAU (hall C2.538). Please read more ...

Fraunhofer IZFP receives an order worth half a million euros in the Persian Gulf

Saarbrücken, October 6, 2016:

AUROPA-System
© Fraunhofer IZFP/Uwe Bellhäuser

In cooperation with an Australian business partner and system integrator, the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP in Saarbrücken acquired a major order worth half a million euros last week. The final customer is "Metro Doha", a planned public transport system project in the capital of Qatar. In detail, the contract comprises two AUROPA systems for the automatic detection of damage such as crack-like defects in the wheel tread area of railway wheels. Delivery shall be completed within 12 months.

Process-integrated inspection for ultrasound-assisted friction stir welding (FSW) of metal/hybrid compound materials

Saarbrücken, September 26, 2016:

X-Ray Image of a FSW-Seam
© Fraunhofer IZFP

Ever faster, ever lighter, ever increasing energy efficiency: Lightweight construction is one of the key technologies of today’s industrial production. By now, saving of weight, material, and energy applies across industries while taking account of the entire product life cycle. In doing so, the realization of innovative lightweight construction structures as well as the combination of divergent materials play an essential and mandatory role to meet the various requirements components are expected to fulfill. Hence, joint technologies are of crucial importance for any kind of goal-driven lightweight construction. Fraunhofer IZFP researchers aim for process-integrated inspection of the error-prone seam zones of friction stir welded components. In doing so, they have a serious share in the reduction of costs and wastage at concurrent saving of time. Please read more ...

Tracking down covered motor-doping in cycling

Saarbrücken, July 12, 2016:

© By Wladyslaw Sojka via Wikimedia Commons

By now, it is well known that e-doping, also common as motor-doping, is a real and urgent threat in cycling. The issue occupies a considerable part in the discussions around the 103rd Tour de France. The struggle of the Union Cycliste Internationale UCI against minimally invasive technical doping systems is to be intensified further and brought to a sustainable basis: High forfeits, long-term bans and the search for effective uncovering methods. For this struggle Fraunhofer IZFP provides adequate tools to detect hidden auxiliary motors. Please read more ...

Fraunhofer IZFP inspects the deck slab of the Fechingen Viaduct

Saarbrücken, June 14, 2016:

© Kondephy, wikipedia

In recent months, many Saarlander have suffered from the full closure of the Fechingen Viaduct that has plunged the traffic in the capital region into chaos. Due to expert assessments forecasting the risk of sudden failure of the bridge piers, the bridge had to be closed. In order to re-integrate this important infrastructure construction into the traffic network, at least in a restricted extent, it was necessary to reduce the load of the supporting structure. Please read more ...

Outer space mission Lisa Pathfinder: Fraunhofer IZFP puts two gold/platinum cubes to the acid test

Saarbrücken, March 1, 2016:

© ESA–C. Carreau
LISA Pathfinder

Until a few days ago – when the long-awaited epochal breakthrough of direct proof of gravitational waves was proclaimed at a press conference – in spite of intensive research scientists and researchers failed to verify the existence of gravitational waves as predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. Just on this account, the European Space Agency has sent a satellite into space which is to perform the preparatory work for the direct detection of gravitational waves predicted by Einstein. The central experiment of the mission involves two virtually identical high-precision cubes made of a gold-platinum alloy. These cubes were tested by engineers at Fraunhofer IZFP for their suitability and accuracy, both prerequisites for their smooth operation in space. Please read more ...

Production-integrated inspection of large-scale CFRP components

Saarbrücken, February 23, 2016:

© Fraunhofer IZFP

In the frame of nondestructive inspection, computed tomography (CT) is a reliable and effective method for three-dimensional examination of the internal structure of objects. However, the inspection of flat components by means of CT has its limits and is turning out to be difficult due to restrictions by impossible but indispensable irradiation directions. In these cases computed laminography (CL) is a time-saving and cost-effective alternative. At this year's JEC WORLD Composites Show & Conferences, held from 8 to 10 march in Paris, France, Fraunhofer IZFP will present CLARA®, a fully featured CL machine for "nondestructive inspection of CFRP components using computed laminography" which was developed by engineers and researchers of this Saarland Institute. The results of the measurements and a complete volume reconstruction of the object are available within minutes. Please read more ...

CT-Automat: Fully automatic serial testing of materials and components

Saarbrücken, February 15, 2016:

© Fraunhofer IZFP

For many years, Fraunhofer IZFP’s CT-Automat, a system for computed tomography (CT), has proven to be a fully automated laboratory system for industrial quality control. Several leading European seed companies are using it as an effective tool for control and quality assessment in seed production for fast obtainment of objective quality statements concerning single seeds. This nondestructive inspection procedure evaluates the quality of the seed without damaging the seed itself and without altering the surface. Please read more ...