Press & Events

Interest in the use of fuel cells is steadily increasing as a result of the shift toward e-mobility and the broader adoption of renewable energy sources. To examine this development, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is organizing the first Laser Colloquium Hydrogen LKH2, which will take place in Aachen on March 18, 2020. The event will focus not only on laser cutting and welding of fuel cell components, but also on the execution and monitoring of the entire process chain.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has founded a hydrogen network - which now also includes the Fraunhofer IST, represented by Dr.-Ing. Marko Eichler. The aim of the network is developing hydrogen technologies to market maturity within a short period of time and therefore providing a contribution towards the energy revolution.

Sunny prospects: Under the direction of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen, five project partners from industry and research are developing technologies for the roll-to-roll production of organic photovoltaics in the EffiLayers project. This North Rhine-Westphalian lead market project aims to help the machine manufacturers based in North Rhine-Westphalia play a pioneering role in the market for flexible thin-film solar cells and printed electronics.

From 5th - 6th December 2019, the 18th International Conference on Reactive Sputter Deposition RSD took place in Braunschweig, Germany for the first time. Organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, the conference and accompanying exhibition provided an excellent platform for the around 100 participants from 22 countries to discuss the latest trends and their implementation in new technologies and innovative products.

The recently launched KODOS project (“Konfektionierter Dünnglas-Verbund für optoelektronische Systeme”, Thin Glass Composites for Optoelectronic Systems), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is designed to transform thin glass into finished products along the entire value chain. The companies EMDE development of light, Volkswagen and Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau, which focus on application development, have joined forces with the technology suppliers tesa, VON ARDENNE, Flabeg, 4JET microtech, SURAGUS, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP. The aim of the consortium is to be able to offer a complete modular system of functional materials, semi-finished products, tools, and technologies for the roll-to-roll production of optoelectronic systems on thin glass.

Higher atmospheric layers are becoming more and more interesting for climate researchers, but the areas above 40 km are only directly accessible with sounding rockets. A newly developed LIDAR system (Light Detection and Ranging) with a diode-pumped alexandrite laser will soon make such research possible remotely. Scientists from the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT are developing a system that is not only easy to transport but also works independently. In the future, a LIDAR network will be able to deliver data from the atmosphere continuously and on a large scale.

From May 6 to 8, 2020, laser manufacturers and users from various branches will meet at the AKL’20 for the 13th time. Featuring over 600 participants, 87 speakers and over 50 sponsors and exhibitors, the “AKL – International Laser Technology Congress” has established itself as the leading forum for applied laser technology in Europe. The program of events is already available at www.lasercongress.org – where you can also register now for AKL’20.

Ultra-thin glass – one human hair thick – is ideally suited as a material for mass production of optical components and parts as well as for encapsulating optical and optoelectronic systems. Its production requires a completely coordinated process chain – from manufacture to functionalization. This is the goal to be accomplished by 2022 in the GLASS4FLEX joint research project.

The Pavement Profile Scanner PPS-Plus from Fraunhofer IPM is part of the latest measuring vehicle MESAS of the Federal Highway Research Institute BASt. The research vehicle records the condition of road surfaces and the substance of the asphalt surface and thus provides the basis for optimum maintenance planning. During test runs, MESAS has already successfully measured more than 11,000 kilometers of the federal trunk road network. Now regular operation starts.

Additive manufacturing systems can generate highly complex components, which could not be produced with conventional machine tools or only with great effort. Nevertheless, such industrial 3D printers are far from being standard equipment in factories. This is not just due to the purchase costs, but also to many other challenges. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS Dresden has developed particular solutions and will present them at the “formnext” trade fair in Frankfurt am Main in November 2019. Included here are “COAXshield”, a local molten pool shield for laser powder build-up welding and the “LIsec” analysis device for controlling the powder flow in additive manufacturing processes.