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 over 700 employees at locations in BremenDresdenStadeWolfsburg BraunschweigHelgoland 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

Spitzenforschung trifft auf Ingenieursnachwuchs

Vom 14. Januar bis zum 25. Februar hatten wir am @Fraunhofer IFAM besonderen Besuch: Vier motivierte Schüler des Gymnasiums 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗲 absolvierten im Rahmen der Schüler‑Ingenieur‑Akademie (SIA) ihr Praxisprojekt bei uns.

𝗜𝗵𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: ein eigenes Automatisierungsprojekt entwickeln – von der Idee bis zum funktionierenden Demonstrator. 🤖⚙️

In nur wenigen Wochen realisierten die Schüler der Klassenstufe 11 die vollständige Interaktion zwischen einem 3D-gedruckten Roboterarm und einem Förderband nicht nur theoretisch betrachtet, sondern praktisch umgesetzt. Mithilfe eines Kamerasystems wurden Objekte auf dem Band erkannt und basierend auf ihrer Farbe präzise sortiert.

Das Besondere: Die Schüler haben sich richtig tief eingearbeitet – technisch, kreativ und selbstständig:

🔧 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗸𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗸: Komponenten eigenständig gelötet

💻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴: Microcontroller programmiert und Motorik angesteuert

🧠 𝗞𝗜 & 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Python-Programmierung für die Kamera-Objekt- und Farb-Erkennung genutzt

🖥️ 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗭𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: Per Computersimulation das Gesamtsystem inklusive Fehlerszenarien erstellt
 

Wir sind sehr beeindruckt und freuen uns, jungen Talenten zeigen zu können, wie vielseitig die Arbeit in unserer angewandten Forschung ist. Wer weiß – vielleicht sehen wir das eine oder andere Gesicht bald als Studierenden oder Kollegen bei uns wieder?

@Frederick Blome und @Christian Böhlmann begleiteten das Projekt.

#IFAMdrivesInnovation #Stade

Great start at JEC World 2026! 🚀

So far, we have had inspiring conversations and a fantastic first wave of interest at JEC World in Paris. Our team from Fraunhofer IFAM at the Composites United 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 (𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝟲 | 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗤𝟮𝟰) is excited about the strong engagement around our R&D solutions for automated, digitalized and highly precise adhesive bonding, assembly and processing technologies for the production of large lightweight FRP structures as well as certifying training courses.

Whether it is 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘂𝘂𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 or our 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀, for FRP aligned with the new DIN 35255, – visitors are showing great enthusiasm for technologies that make composite manufacturing more efficient, more reliable and fit for versatile high‑rate production. ⚙️✨

And of course, we are proudly showcasing insights from the award‑winning SAUBER 4.0 project, which received the 𝗝𝗘𝗖 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 earlier this year. 🏆✈️

👉 If you have not stopped by yet – there is still time! Visit us at Hall 6 | Booth Q24. We look forward to meeting you and continuing the great discussions. 🇫🇷🌍

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
📰Press release https://s.fhg.de/hzha
📍 JEC World: https://lnkd.in/d6pe5sr

Come and visit us and meet our colleagues Urs Roemer, Christian Böhlmann, Björn Reichel, Stefan Simon, Milan Kelch and Lena Bothur.

Ladeinfrastruktur ist einfach - bis die rechtlichen Fragen kommen

Genau darum geht es in unserem Online-Seminar »𝗟𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗸𝘁𝘂𝗿: 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗻«.

📅 𝟭𝟵. 𝗠ä𝗿𝘇 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 – 𝗻ä𝗰𝗵𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲
𝙀𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙚 𝙋𝙡ä𝙩𝙯𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙝 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙛ü𝙜𝙗𝙖𝙧!

Was dieses Seminar besonders macht, ist die 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗸𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗶 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻:
🔹 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘅𝗶𝘀: Die Eulektro GmbH gibt Einblicke in Planung und Betrieb von Ladeinfrastruktur-Projekten
🔹 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁: Die BLANKE MEIER EVERS Rechtsanwälte in Partnerschaft mbB erläutert die wichtigsten rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen
🔹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴: Das Fraunhofer IFAM stellt aktuelle Ergebnisse aus Forschung und Entwicklung vor

Die 𝗞𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘅𝗶𝘀, 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴 bietet einen kompakten Überblick für alle, die Ladeinfrastrukturprojekte planen, betreiben oder umsetzen.

👉 𝗦𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗷𝗲𝘁𝘇𝘁 𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘇𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗹ä𝘁𝘇𝗲 – 𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝗺 𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗞𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿!

❓ Bei Fragen zum Seminar stehen Stefan Lösch und Timo Ell-Braun gerne zur Verfügung!

Prof. Dr. Bernd Mayer on shaping the future of composites - a strategic Fraunhofer outlook

At the Composites Leadership Circle 2026 in Paris, Prof. Dr. Bernd Mayer (Managing Institute Director of Fraunhofer IFAM) delivered a keynote on behalf of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, contributing to a high‑level dialogue regarding strategic medium to long term aspects of composite materials.
As one of seven visionary contributions setting the stage just ahead of JEC World 2026, the keynote focused on the future trajectory of composite technologies — and on the strategic choices that will determine how the field evolves in the coming decade.

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴

The Leadership Circle brought together leading voices from industry, research and technology development to explore emerging market dynamics, disruptive innovations and the broader framework conditions shaping the next era of composites. Rather than incremental advances, discussions centered on transformational change — from sustainability‑driven material concepts and automated, resilient production systems to entirely new application opportunities across mobility, energy and infrastructure.

𝘈 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥

In his keynote, Prof. Mayer highlighted how scientific excellence, industrial requirements and sustainability strategies need to be intertwined when developing future composite solutions. He outlined key directions for the years to come:

🔹bio‑based and fully recyclable high‑performance materials,
🔹multifunctional structures with integrated sensing and intelligence,
🔹and digitally connected, AI‑supported production chains enabling faster, smarter and more resource‑efficient manufacturing.

These perspectives reflect Fraunhofer’s role as a strategic enabler — translating long‑term research visions into technologies with substantial industrial and societal impact.

𝘈 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦

The Composites Leadership Circle offered a unique environment where technological visions meet industrial strategy — and where shared perspectives help shape the future roadmap of composite materials.

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗝𝗘𝗖 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻.

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

3.11.2025

Innovative Surfaces to Rapidly Load Bone Implants with Antibiotics

Infectious complications are not uncommon after implant placement. The risk is higher in heavily contaminated wounds, which are particularly common in war zones such as Ukraine, where many bone injuries require treatment. Research-ers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Bremen have developed a new functionalized surface that can be loaded with antibiotics.
more info

25.6.2025

Wayland Calibur3 Installed at Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden

Scaling up Next-Generation Additive Manufacturing: Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden has successfully installed a Wayland Calibur3 system, marking the institute’s third facility dedicated to Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) and reinforcing its leadership in advanced additive manufacturing technologies.
more info

10.4.2025

High-performance elastomers and plasma polymer coatings to replace fluoropolymers in technical applications: new Fraunhofer project

Users of poly- and perfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals", are under pressure due to regulatory proposals from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). This also affects the use of fluoroelastomers, whose economic significance is enormous. Fraunhofer experts initiated the "HATE-FLUOR" project at the beginning of February. Together, they want to develop high-performance elastomer compounds to replace fluoropolymers in certain technical applications. Various industries can benefit from this, including manufacturers of semi-finished and finished parts as well as companies in mechanical engineering industry, medical engineering, clean room and semiconductor technology, chemical process technology and electrical applications.
more info

3.4.2025

Shipping of the future: biodegradable antifouling coatings for clean seas

More sustainable antifouling coatings for ships are in demand. These innovative solutions should largely dispense with biocides and still withstand the challenges of maritime use. As part of the "BioSHIP" project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) under the "Maritime Research Program", industry and science are working together to develop such environmentally friendly coatings. The biodegradable, self-polishing coatings should not only offer the same functionality as conventional products, but also minimize the release of toxic heavy metals and microplastics into the sea - a major step towards green shipping.
more info

Events

20.4.2026

Hannover Messe 2026

Meet us at the Fraunhofer Group Materials joint booth (Hall 11, Booth D33), at the Lightweight Construction Pavilion (Hall 17, Booth G41), and at Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe (Hall 11, Booth E12). We look forward to seeing you there!
more info

25.3.2026

Coiltech 2026

At Coiltech, Fraunhofer IFAM will present its portfolio on the development, manufacture, and testing of electric drives.
more info

10.3.2026

AM Forum 2026

Meet experts from Fraunhofer IFAM at the AM Forum Berlin (booth 10) and discover innovative materials and solutions for industrial additive manufacturing.
more info

10.3.2026

JEC World 2026

The automation and production technology experts from Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade will be presenting their latest R&D results in the fields of assembly technologies, joining technologies, and integrated production systems at the Composites United e.V. joint booth at JEC WORLD 2026 in Paris from March 10 to 12. In addition, colleagues from the Fraunhofer IFAM training center in Bremen will also be at the trade fair to present certified training courses in the field of adhesive and fiber composite technology (in accordance with the new DIN 35255 standard).
more info