Multi-Technology Products
Within this Research Area, hybrid processes for the production of plastics/metalcomposites as well as for products with functional surfaces via nano- or micro-scaled structures will be developed.
This Research area “Multi-Technology Products” represents a natural further evolution of the Research Area “Advanced Processes for Hybrid Metal/Plastics Products” in combination with the results of Research Areas "Flexible Configuration Logic for Integrative Production Systems" and "Hybrid Production Processes". Based on the established multi-technology products for material combinations, a formalised approach for the systematic integration of technologies into products is envisioned.
Within the first funding period, advanced processes for the production of plastics/metal, metal/metal hybrids and of products with functional surfaces were developed, targeting the shortening of process chains. It was shown that these processes provide an enormous potential for (i) reducing the number of process steps and (ii) significantly shortening cycle times by enabling direct bonding of metallic and plastics components and novel joining techniques for metallic components and the integrated production of functional surfaces.
In the first funding period, the technical ability to produce multi-technology parts was developed and proved with the help of example products at laboratory scale and a methodology for the layout of hybrid processes was developed. What is still missing is the ability to evaluate the necessary degree of integration of new and existing multi-technology products and processes. In accordance with the objectives defined in the first funding period, the first aim in the context of this work is to contribute to the development of a holistic design and qualification methodology for integrable multi-technology products and to employ this methodology to determine the optimum degree of integration. In order to enable cost-effective integrative multi-technology products manufactured on an industrial scale, the complex interdependencies of the products themselves and their associated production processes have to be investigated, understood, evaluated and finally considered in the design phase of the product.
Contact
Dr.-Ing. Nils Kopp
Surface Engineering Institute
Chair of Surface Engineering
Kackerstr. 15, D-52072 Aachen
Phone: +49 (0)241 80-99950
E-Mail: kopp@iot.rwth-aachen.de
Coordinator
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kirsten Bobzin
Surface Engineering Institute
Chair of Surface Engineering
Kackerstr. 15, D-52072 Aachen
Phone: +49 (0)241 80-95329 Fax: +49 (0)241 80-92264
E-Mail: info@iot.rwth-aachen.de
