Projects

The integration of recycled materials continues to pose challenges for the manufacturing industry, as the quality of the products depends on the interaction between the materials used and the manufacturing processes. Variations in trace elements and chemical properties affect additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing. The GEAR-UP project aims to develop digital tools to facilitate the use of recycled materials in metal and plastics processing. Simulation-based approaches and AI methods will be used to establish resource-efficient manufacturing processes. The digital product passport developed in the project ensures the traceability of materials.

The BASE project aims to develop the digital battery passport, which every larger battery will be required to have in the future. The passport will contain continuously collected data on the "State of Health" as well as information on the supply chain, the manufacturing process and material data. It will apply the "mass balance" method, which offers a detailed accounting of the materials used in battery production, with special emphasis on the use of sustainable components. The data from the battery passport is stored in a decentralized and tamper-proof manner so that all parties involved have access to it. This enables the optimization of battery lifespan and enhances recycling.

The SmartEM project develops a standardized system that allows to combine different computational engineering models from different sources and to merge them into a complete system. This flexible reference architecture, inspired by open data space concepts such as Gaia-X, promotes collaboration between different actors and enables the reuse of engineering models. This makes development processes more efficient and replaces manual, time-consuming procedures for creating digital twins. The AI-based generation of "surrogate models" - simplified versions of complex models from heterogeneous data sources - facilitates model integration and thus improves interoperability. In this way, SmartEM accelerates digital transformation and innovation in engineering.

The ALABAMA project is developing adaptive laser techniques for improved additive manufacturing. The goal is to decrease material porosity and adjust microstructures. The innovation includes the development of models for process optimization. Process parameters are optimized using multi-beam control and laser shaping. Advanced monitoring uses multispectral imaging for quality control. Material tests ensure compliance with requirements. The technology is being tested in aerospace, maritime, and automotive industries. These sectors face challenges regarding material quality. The project promises significant productivity increases and cost reductions. It also promotes the autonomy of the European industry.

Remanufacturing boosts circular economies and job creation. RESTORE enhances this with sustainable processes and materials. It merges advanced technologies for better remanufacturing applications. The RESTORE platform will digitize and streamline the remanufacturing process. Fraunhofer SCAI standardizes data for remanufacturing efficiency.

PIONEER aims to develop and implement an interoperable material modeling and manufacturing ecosystem that enables multi-directional data flow along the material value chain by linking product design and distributed modeling data with information from material characterization, manufacturing processes, and product quality criteria. PIONEER combines a design-by-simulation approach with manufacturing and quality data to optimize product development strategies in high-mix/low-volume production systems.

This joint laboratory project between Fraunhofer SCAI, the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, and the Dr. Reinold Hagen Foundation falls precisely at the center of this topic. It aims to create new digital-twin-related insights and turn them into benefits for small and medium-sized companies that experience exceptionally high digitalization pressure. These companies are often regional, e.g., experts in niche manufacturing techniques. It is particularly challenging for such companies to gather sufficient expertise in as many disciplines as required to these ends.

The Fraunhofer project HABICHT aims to develop a highly efficient electric motor for compressors in hydrogen fuel cells. To determine the optimal machine design, we used several multi-physics simulations divided into the mechanical domain, the electromagnetic domain, the rotor's thermal behavior, and the stator's thermal behavior, with common boundary conditions. Surrogate models were built for each domain and were combined to consider their impacts on each other.

The VMAP analytics project is a follow-up of the VMAP project, which is also under the ITEA umbrella. This project is mainly driven by the Swedish partner, SWERIM AB, a metal research institute based in Luleå, Sweden. This project primarily focuses on integrating experimental data within the VMAP Standard and developing the process ontologies to build meaningful connections between the virtual and the simulation domains. The execution of data analytics to provide better correlation techniques is also part of the project scope.

According to laws such as "Gesetz für die Erhaltung, Modernisierung und den Aufbau der Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung (KWKG) "(2002) and "Novelle KWK-Gesetz "(2009) the federal government plans to Increase the proportion of combined heat and power (CHP) plants in total German gross power-generation from currently approximately 15% to 25% in 2020. A significant improvement in efficiency is not possible with metallic materials. In contrast, components made from high-performance ceramics can withstand significantly higher temperatures. Therefore, the goal of the project is to develop a rotor and stator made of monolithic high-performance ceramics and their successful use in micro gas turbines (MGT).