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 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

🌊 Innovation für die Offshore-Windindustrie

Mit dem Forschungsprojekt »CorroGuard« wird ein wichtiger Schritt in Richtung effizientere und nachhaltigere Produktion von Offshore-Windenergieanlagen gemacht. Ziel ist die Entwicklung eines mobilen Robotersystems, das die teilautomatisierte Oberflächenkontrolle von Monopiles, den tragenden Fundamentstrukturen – ermöglicht.

𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘥?
Der Zustand der Schutzlackierung beeinflusst maßgeblich den Korrosionsschutz, und damit die Lebensdauer und Betriebssicherheit der gesamten Anlage.

🔍𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘎𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘵:
- Automatisierte Erfassung und Bewertung von Lackschäden
- Präzise Schichtdickenmessung in der Fertigung
- KI-gestützte Analyse und digitale Dokumentation
- Integration der Daten in digitale Zwillinge und CAD-Modelle
- HightTech im schweren Stahlbau

𝘋𝘢𝘴 𝘌𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘣𝘯𝘪𝘴: höhere Qualität, schnellere Prozesse und mehr Reproduzierbarkeit – bei gleichzeitig reduzierter Abhängigkeit von manuellen Inspektionen. Gerade im Kontext von Fachkräftemangel ein entscheidender Vorteil.

🤝 Das Projekt vereint starke Partner aus Forschung und Industrie, darunter das Fraunhofer IFAM, die Krebs Unternehmensgruppe, die OFTEC Oberflächentechnik GmbH und Bithand. Gemeinsam treiben wir die technologische Weiterentwicklung der Offshore-Windbranche voran und stärken die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit im Bereich der erneuerbaren Energien.

CorroGuard zeigt, wie Robotik, KI und Digitalisierung die Zukunft der industriellen Qualitätssicherung prägen.

Marcela Melo | Mareike Schlag

📢 Happening today: Our Battery Expert Talk!

How can advanced battery cell measurements help us better understand aging, safety, and performance?
 
Join 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 as they discuss:
🔋 battery “breathing” phenomena
📊 force measurements in battery cells
🧠 digitalized testing and battery data pipelines
⚡ future approaches to battery lifetime analysis
 
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀:
🎙️ Caspar Spinnen (CATL)
🎙️ Hannes Fiedler (Fraunhofer IKTS)
 
Whether you already work in the battery field or simply want to learn more about the future of battery technology – everyone is welcome to join!
 
📅 Today | May 21, 2026
🕑 14:00–15:00 CET
💻 Online-Webinar
🎟️ Free participation
 
𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/ezQUH4VV

The session is part of the 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 (#EBBC), hosted by Fraunhofer IFAM and is designed for both battery professionals and newcomers interested in the future of battery technology.

#IFAMdrivesInnovation

🚨 Der Countdown läuft! Anmeldung endet am 22. Mai 2026 🚨

Das 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗸𝘁𝘀 »𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲« steht vor der Tür. Nach drei Jahren intensiver Forschung rund um die 𝗟𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗸𝘁𝘂𝗿 𝗳ü𝗿 𝗘-𝗟𝗸𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻 präsentieren wir Ihnen die zentralen Ergebnisse und Handlungsempfehlungen.

📆 𝟮𝟳. 𝗠𝗮𝗶 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
📍 Fraunhofer IFAM in Bremen

𝗪𝗮𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗦𝗶𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗶 𝘀𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗻:
⚡️ 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 von Sebastian Lahmann (NOW GmbH) zum Thema Ladeinfrastruktur.
📊 Vorstellung konkreter 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗳𝗲𝗵𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻 für E-Lkw in Gewerbegebieten.
🤝 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘇𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗻 mit dem Projektkonsortium und Branchenexpert*innen.

𝗗𝗶𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗶. Nutzen Sie die Gelegenheit, um sich mit Fachleuten auszutauschen und Impulse für die Zukunft der Logistik zu erhalten.

👉 𝗠𝗲𝗵𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘂𝗻𝗴: https://s.fhg.de/Nqnx
👉 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗸𝘁 »𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲«: https://s.fhg.de/Gm2B

Bei Fragen wenden Sie sich gerne an Sönke Stührmann vom Fraunhofer IFAM.

𝗪𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘂𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀ö𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗜𝗵𝗻𝗲𝗻.

#IFAMdrivesInnovation

Andreas Bong (RWTH Aachen University) | Caspar Plump (W. Tiemann GmbH & Co. KG) | Jedamzik Andreas (Behrens-Wöhlk GmbH & Co. KG) | Jan Pfisterer (Rhenus Logistics) | Felix Horch (Fraunhofer IFAM)

Austausch zwischen Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Politik am Fraunhofer IFAM

Am 12. Mai durften wir am Fraunhofer IFAM das Wissenschaftsforum sowie den Arbeitskreis Wirtschaft und Arbeit der SPD Bremen begrüßen.

Unsere Bereichsleiterin und unsere Bereichsleiter Katharina Koschek, Ralph Wilken und Volker Zöllmer sowie Holger Fricke und Peter Plagemann gaben umfassende Einblicke in die Arbeit unseres Instituts.

Im Mittelpunkt standen dabei nicht nur unsere Forschungsschwerpunkte, sondern auch die enge Vernetzung mit der bremischen Wirtschaft und der Wissenschaftslandschaft – insbesondere mit der Universität Bremen.

Vorgestellt wurden aktuelle Entwicklungen unter anderem in den Bereichen Klebtechnik, Batterietechnologien, 3D-Druck, Circular Electronics, PFAS-freie Oberflächen sowie Wasserstoff.

Der Austausch hat einmal mehr verdeutlicht, welche zentrale Rolle die Materialforschung für Innovation, industrielle Wertschöpfung und die Sicherung von Zukunftstechnologien spielt – insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund globaler Herausforderungen wie der Verfügbarkeit kritischer Rohstoffe.

Wir danken der Delegation für das große Interesse und den angeregten Dialog.

#IFAMdrivesInnovation | Arno Gottschalk

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

31.3.2026

Major BMFTR Project for the Production of Sodium-Ion Battery Cells in Germany started

With the funding project SIB:DE ENTWICKLUNG, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has launched the largest German consortium to date dedicated to sodium-ion battery technology. Twenty-five partners from academia and industry are collaborating to develop a sustainable, safe, and cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The focus is on the production of large-format, market-ready cells and the assessment of their recyclability. The goal is the rapid transfer of research results into industrial applications.
more info

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

Events

10.6.2026

ILA 2026

You can find Fraunhofer IFAM in Hall B, Booth 240, as well as in Hall C, Booth 280, at the Fraunhofer joint booths Aviation & Space.
more info

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

14.4.2026

Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) 2026

The Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg is a leading international trade fair for aircraft interiors and a key platform for everyone involved in the development of modern cabin concepts. International exhibitors showcase innovations in aircraft interiors – from seating systems and materials to lighting, catering systems, and cockpit doors.
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