Reference projects of the Fraunhofer IST

Forging tools are subjected to a complex load spectrum, which leads to increased wear and consequently to a decrease in component imprecision as well as a shorter service life of the forming tools. One possibility for reducing wear is (plasma) nitriding. Within the framework of this project, a fundamental understanding of the cause-effect relationships was obtained.

In cooperation with the Institute of Construction Design, Industrial and Health Care Building at the TU Braunschweig and the Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig (Braunschweig Municipal Hospital), a new application-oriented research and study laboratory in the form of a patient room of the future is being set up on the grounds of the hospital. The aim of the cooperation is the continuous development of practicable structural-technical sample solutions, innovative materials and surfaces as well as future-oriented products.

The common goal within the project is the development of a resource-saving platform strategy for the transfer of technology and knowledge from special research processes to medical-product manufacturing at SMEs. The platform strategy is intended to create an alternative for the production of clinical trial samples which takes into account the regulatory requirements for medical products and avoids duplicate structures.

In collaboration with the Institut für Integrierte Produktion Hannover gemeinnützige GmbH (IPH), the Fraunhofer IST has developed special sensor inserts in the form of a measuring funnel which can be directly integrated into the surface of the tool. This method enables existing machines and tools to be retrospectively upgraded and additionally offers the possibility of implementing improvements and further developments of the sensor technology through a simple exchange of the insert.

The project addresses the research and development of a coating technology for the deposition of optical precision coatings on spheres, aspheres and plano optics. Aspheres need to be coated with very broadband, low-loss, highly efficient anti-reflective coatings that act over a wide angular range. From a technological point of view, magnetron sputtering is used because it enables high-quality optical coatings.

Increasing the efficiency of low-cost solar cells is a central challenge within the context of the expansion of photovoltaics as a fundamental pillar of the energy transition. In the Fraunhofer lighthouse project “MaNiTU”, the Fraunhofer IST, in collaboration with five other Fraunhofer institutes, is developing materials for sustainable tandem solar cells with maximum conversion efficiency. On the basis of low-cost silicon solar cells, the focus is being placed on the development of next-generation perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. The goals are the achievement of significantly higher efficiencies and the establishment of industrially viable large-area coating systems and processes. In addition to the research into and application of coating processes, the main priorities of the Fraunhofer IST are the sustainability assessment of these processes and the optimization of energy and material flows.

The digitalization of production processes requires novel sensors for direct measurement in active zones. Through thin-film sensor technology, the necessary conditions for the realization of demand-oriented tool changes are to be created on the basis of the desired real-time wear indication. This will enable the minimization of the losses in material, energy and service life that currently result through the production of rejects.

The reduction of mechanical compressive stresses still remains a problem even today, particularly for the material most commonly used in optics: SiO2. The establishment of a coating process for the deposition of stress-free but simultaneously optically high-quality and dense SiO2 layers by means of hot-wire CVD was the aim of this research project.

Optical systems usually consist of several planar and curved components (lenses). Optical bandpass filters are often used to filter the light in a certain spectral range. Applications include LIDAR scanners. An optical system can be significantly simplified if these filters are applied directly to one of the lenses. In terms of coating technology, this is a major challenge.

Parabolic mirrors are used in space travel for a variety of applications, e.g. as antennas for space communications or as telescopes. Because they have to be extremely stable, they are usually built from solid, rigid materials such as glass or ceramics. This results in a high weight. An alternative was developed in the “OCULUS” project funded by DLR. Here, a parabolic mirror was built from CFRP, which was then metallized and subsequently polished. The result was a stable CFRP mirror which has an extremely smooth surface and which is many times lighter than conventional mirrors.