Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM

Fraunhofer IFAM – Research shaping the future

Fraunhofer IFAM is one of Europe's leading independent research institutions in the fields of adhesive bonding technology, surfaces, shaping, and functional materials. Our mission: We develop innovative solutions for key future topics such as sustainable mobility, the energy transition, the digitalization of production, and resource efficiency – and bring them to industrial application.

With about 700 employees at locations in Bremen, Dresden, Stade, Wolfsburg Braunschweig, Helgoland and Cuxhaven

we offer a wide range of expertise:

  • Material development & functional materials: From metallic, polymer, and hybrid materials to battery materials and smart materials.
  • Shaping & additive manufacturing: Technologies such as powder metallurgy, 3D printing, and sintering processes enable innovative component designs and high-precision applications.
  • Adhesive bonding & surface technology: Solutions for secure, durable joining and the targeted functionalization of surfaces – essential in aviation, automotive engineering, and medical technology.
  • Automation & digitalization: Development of intelligent manufacturing processes, robot-assisted application systems, and automated quality assurance solutions.
  • Qualification & technology transfer: We impart expertise to specialists and decision-makers from industry and research through a wide range of training courses.

Discover our projects, technologies, and expertise – and find out how we can shape the industry of tomorrow together.

Fraunhofer IFAM on LinkedIn

📢 Visit us at electronicaFair in Munich on November 10-13

The experts of Fraunhofer IFAM will be happy to advise you on functional integration in components as an entry into digital value creation. They’ll show you parts and components with integrated sensors.
 
Fraunhofer IFAM exhibits latest activities of functional integration in parts and components and demonstrate different exponats of printed sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and printed batteries on curved surfaces.
 
Dr. Ingo Wirth, Mario Kohl and John Laubert look forward to a professional exchange with you at booth C5.241 of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
 
They look forward to your visit!
 
More information: https://s.fhg.de/jdzf

#IFAMdrivesInnovation

Ladeinfrastruktur ist längst mehr als eine Ladesäule auf dem Parkplatz⚡

Mit der zunehmenden Elektromobilität wird Ladeinfrastruktur zu einem festen Bestandteil von 𝗚𝗲𝗯ä𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻, 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹ä𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗸𝘁𝘂𝗿.

Damit wachsen auch die Anforderungen an Planung und Betrieb:
🔌 Wie wird Ladeinfrastruktur sinnvoll dimensioniert?
⚡ Welche Anforderungen entstehen durch die Integration in bestehende und zukünftige Stromnetze?
⚖️ Welche rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen müssen berücksichtigt werden?
💶 Welches Betriebskonzept ist wirtschaftlich sinnvoll?
🛠️ Und was ist zu beachten, damit die Ladeinfrastruktur auch im laufenden Betrieb zuverlässig funktioniert?

Gerade für 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻, 𝗚𝗲𝗯ä𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗿:𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗻, 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗻 wird das Thema damit immer konkreter.

Denn eine Ladeinfrastruktur zu errichten ist das eine. 𝗦𝗶𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝘇𝘂𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹ä𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴 𝘇𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘇𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗻, 𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴.

Genau hier setzt das 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 »𝗟𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗸𝘁𝘂𝗿: 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗻« des Fraunhofer IFAM an.

Das Seminar ist sehr praxisnah aufgebaut: Die Eulektro GmbH liefert Beispiele aus Betrieb und Praxis. Die BLANKE MEIER EVERS Rechtsanwälte in Partnerschaft mbB erläutern, welche rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen es zu beachten gilt. Darüber hinaus bietet das Fraunhofer IFAM Einblicke in neueste Ergebnisse aus Forschung und Entwicklung!

📅 𝟯. 𝗗𝗲𝘇𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
💻 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀

👉 Jetzt informieren und anmelden: https://s.fhg.de/fB6
❓ Bei Fragen steht Stefan Lösch gerne zur Verfügung.

#IFAMdrivesInnovation #Elektromobilität #Ladeinfrastruktur
#Energiewende #Weiterbildung

🚁 A promise is a promise! 🤝

When we presented our successful drone pilot flight to an offshore service vessel (SOV), we had already announced: More insights are coming.

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲. 🎥
 
The video takes you behind the scenes of a mission we’ll remember for a long time to come: a flight of more than 250 kilometers over the North Sea and numerous valuable insights for the future of offshore logistics.
 
Innovations are often described in just a few lines. Behind them, however, lie intensive preparation, strong partnerships, dedicated teams and doing the very thing you want to achieve on a daily basis.
 
Many thanks to all the project partners who made this extraordinary demonstration possible.

𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳! 👇

Fraunhofer IFAM | Interreg North Sea Programme | Tim Strohbach | Jan N. Reifferscheidt | Mathias Lieblein Rørbæk Vinter

#IFAMdrivesInnovation #DiolNorthSea #DIOL #ODCC #Drones #OffshoreWind #DroneLogistics

Übersetzung anzeigen

🎉 Innovationspreis Niedersachsen 2026 – Wir waren mit dem Machine Tool Robot (MTR) dabei

Wir – Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade, Siemens und autonox Robotics – freuen uns sehr, als Nominierte für den 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲 »𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀- 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿« bei der Preisverleihung am 3. November in Hannover dabei gewesen zu sein und insbesondere über die Anerkennung, die wir dadurch mit unserem MTR erzielt haben.

Wir gratulieren herzlich den Gewinnern voraus robotik GmbH und Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg.

𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗵𝗿𝘀, 𝗡𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳ü𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿, betonte bei der Preisverleihung in der Kategorie Wissens- und Technologietransfer: »Die besten Ideen entfalten ihre Wirkung dann, wenn sie ihren Weg aus der Wissenschaft in die Praxis finden: Genau das zeichnet die nominierten Projekte des Innovationspreises aus. Der Innovationspreis macht solche Transfererfolge sichtbar und inspiriert andere zur Nachahmung. Zugleich greift er eine zentrale Botschaft des Innovationsrates Niedersachsen auf: Zukunft entsteht dort, wo wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse erfolgreich in Anwendungen, Produkte und Dienstleistungen überführt werden.«

Und genau das trifft auf den MTR zu, der die FuE-Ergebnisse erfolgreich in die industrielle Anwendung bringt. Er verbindet die Flexibilität eines Industrieroboters mit der Präzision einer Werkzeugmaschine. Dies ermöglicht die neuartige Fräskinematik mit Hybridantrieb sowie intelligente, modellgestützte Regelungsstrategien. So erreicht der MTR eine hohe Bahngenauigkeit auch bei hohen Vorschubgeschwindigkeiten und anspruchsvollen Bearbeitungsaufgaben.

Mit dieser Technologie eröffnen sich neue Einsatzfelder für die robotergestützte Bearbeitung von Stahlbauteilen und Großstrukturen. Gleichzeitig trägt der MTR dazu bei, Fertigungsprozesse flexibler, ressourceneffizienter und wirtschaftlicher zu gestalten.

🤝 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗴. Unser herzlicher Dank gilt Siemens und autonox Robotics sowie allen, die mit Expertise und Engagement den Transfer in die industrielle Anwendung des MTR ermöglichen.

Wir bedanken uns bei Niedersachsen.next GmbH, Anne Meier-Homann, Hannes Putfarken, Niedersachsen.next Innovationsnetzwerks und Monika Scherf sowie bei Grant Hendrik Tonne, Minister Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Bauen und Falko Mohrs, Minister Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur.

Stephan Hansen Sven Tauchmann David Bitterolf Guillaume Haas Christian Böhlmann Simon M. Kothe Christian Möller Christoph Brillinger Elisabeth Schärtl Umberto Neuwerth Hartmut ilch Victor Malita

#Stade #IFAMdrivesInnovation #InnovationspreisNiedersachsen

Fraunhofer IFAM

Take a Virtual Tour of our Laboratories for Adhesive Bonding Processes, Plasma and Laser Technology and our Coating Technology Centre

Magazine

 

Expansion of offshore wind energy in Europe

The Interreg North Sea project DIOL (Develop Innovative Offshore Logistic) deals with the implementation of the Esbjerg Declaration, which was signed by the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands at the North Sea Summit in Esbjerg on 18.05.2022. Its aim is to turn the North Sea into Europe's "green power plant".

 

Extension of the durability of rotor blades

Offshore wind turbines are exposed to extreme weather conditions. These lead to damage, e.g. erosion of the coatings on the leading edges of the rotor blades. The MARiLEP joint project aims to achieve a significant improvement in the service life of the leading edge coatings of wind turbines.

 

Hybrid casting for joining CFRP and aluminum

In the "HyFKAl" project, experts from Fraunhofer IFAM and the Faserinstitut Bremen e.V. are developing an economical hybrid casting process for joining CFRP and aluminum. This involves joining thermoplastic and thermoset CFRP structures with the aluminum partner using the primary forming aluminum die casting process.

 

Printed batteries

Manufacturing technology for batteries of the future: Fraunhofer IFAM offers alternatives for battery production using the screen printing process. New manufacturing concepts enable higher active material loads and greater freedom in electrode design. On the one hand, completely printed batteries help to overcome the limitations of current production technology and, on the other hand, reduce the use of solvents and subsequent drying processes.

Press Releases

1.10.2026

Electrolysis with Untreated Seawater: Fraunhofer Tests Materials and Membranes

Seawater and brackish water could serve as alternative water sources for hydrogen production. The challenge is that conventional electrolyzers require high-purity water that needs extensive treatment. In the SeaEly project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM investigated how suitable seawater and brackish water are for hydrogen production and what testing and evaluation infrastructure is needed.
more info

29.9.2026

Construction starts on new prototype centre for electrolysis technologies at Fraunhofer IFAM in Dresden

With the construction of a new prototyping centre, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden is expanding its research infrastructure in the field of hydrogen technologies. The new building, situated within the Fraunhofer Institute Centre Dresden, will in future provide the facilities needed to manufacture, further develop and test electrodes for alkaline water electrolysis (AEL/AEM) on an industrially relevant scale under conditions close to real-world applications. The build-ing is scheduled for completion in summer 2028.
more info

10.9.2026

Innovation Boost for the Hydrogen Economy: Real-Time Diagnostics for Electrolyzers and Fuel Cells in Operation

Hydrogen use is a key component of decarbonization, but ensuring the long-term operation of electrolysers and fuel cells is challenging. Fluctuating operating conditions lead to wear and performance losses. Fraunhofer IFAM has now achieved a decisive breakthrough with dynamic impedance spectroscopy: This diagnostic method enables precise analysis during operation, detects overloads in real time, and identifies weak points at an early stage. This allows for the targeted optimization of resilience and efficiency, extends the service life of the systems, and reduces operating costs – a technological leap with enormous potential for the hydrogen economy.
more info

28.5.2026

Plasmatreat and Fraunhofer IFAM Collaborate on Rapid Industrial Implementation of PFAS-Free Coating Technologies

Plasmatreat GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM are expanding their collaboration specifically in the field of environmentally friendly coating technologies. The focus is on technology transfer and the rapid industrial implementation of the PFAS-free low-pressure plasma coating systems PLASLON® and UltraPLAS®, which were developed by Fraunhofer IFAM. Plasmatreat contributes its system and application expertise, acts as a contract coater and equipment manufacturer, and thus enables the application of these technologies in various industrial fields.
more info

Events

24.2.2027

Symposium on Innovations in Drones and Autonomous Systems for Wind Park Operations

This symposium will convene scientists, researchers, and industry experts to explore the latest advancements in technologies for wind turbine inspection and maintenance across various environments. The program will focus on innovative inspection methods, challenges in maintenance within offshore and onshore environments, successful repair strategies, and the integration of robotics and automation. Additional topics will include the training and qualification of service personnel, as well as sustainability and environmental protection during inspection and repair activities.
more info

17.11.2026

formnext 2026

As a hub for additive manufacturing, Formnext is the international meeting point for industrial 3D printing experts and production professionals from a wide range of application industries. The trade fair creates a unique experience focused on an intensive, professional exchange and access to the latest AM solutions.
more info

17.11.2026

formnext 2026

As a hub for additive manufacturing, Formnext is the international meeting point for industrial 3D printing experts and production professionals from a wide range of application industries. The trade fair creates a unique experience focused on an intensive, professional exchange and access to the latest AM solutions.
more info

17.11.2026

Space Tech Expo Europe 2026

Space Tech Expo Europe is the must-attend event on the space calendar, a truly global event that pushes the industry to new heights year after year by showcasing the latest technologies, providing networking opportunities and facilitating topical debates.
more info