Two prominent Berlin research institutes are now working together in the theme of joining and coating technology: the Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (Institut für Produktionsanlagen und Konstruktionstechnik, IPK) and the Division "Safety of Joined Components" of the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. This provides excellent research possibilities and future potential for both institutions.

Advantage for the region and enterprises

In addition to the Berlin research landscape, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and research partners are the beneficiaries of this cooperation: they have gained a competent partner in joining and coating technology. Professor Dr.-Ing. Michael Rethmeier, Head of BAM's Division of Safety of Joined Components, now heads the newly established Department of Joining and Coating Technology at Fraunhofer IPK.

Importance for the production line

Joining and coating technology ranks among the most important processes within a production line in industry and manufacture, which, in addition to material production, contains the cycles of production, operation, repair, disposal and/or recycling of a product. Innovative products and production steps require continuous advancement of conventional techniques and development of new methods in joining and coating technology and the two institutes are now investigating and developing this together.

A large number of components require a durable join. Joining components using welding, soldering, sticking and metal-forming require a technology using material-bonding methods. And an equally large number of components must be durably coated. The huge variety of components which need joining range from microelectronics to components weighing hundreds of tons in the ship and aircraft building industries and often include coatings of metallic, organic and inorganic surface layers.

Cooperation increases scientific efficiency

The cooperation of the Fraunhofer IPK and BAM enables the shared use of human resources and apparatus, through which the scientific results can be increased and rapid technology transfer is possible.

"The cooperation with BAM makes it possible for us to extend our technology portfolio by another important field of production engineering", says Professor Dr. Eckart Uhlmanm, Head of the Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK).

"In addition to primary shaping using generative production technologies, reshaping using magnetic pulse shaping and our competence in machining, we can now also offer our partners know-how in joining and coating technologies. Furthermore, the close cooperation with BAM means an improvement in material testing competence", added Uhlmann.