Technologies

FUNCTIONALIZABLE METAL SURFACES THROUGH PLASMA ELECTROLYTIC OXIDATION (PEO) | Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), also known as micro arc oxidation (MAO), is a wet chemical process that enables the production of highly functionalizable oxide layers on metals whose oxides do not have electrical conductivity, such as aluminum, magnesium, or titanium. These coatings are hard, wear-resistant, heat-resistant, and porous, making them ideal for use in aerospace, medical technology, and other high-performance industries.

Fraunhofer IFAM has been working on electromobility and the casting of electric drive components since 2008. The focus is on the development and testing of new casting concepts and design methods for electric motor castings. The field of expertise has been expanded to include the analysis and evaluation of castings for the body construction of electric vehicles, with a particular focus on giga-casting.

RELIABLE IDENTIFICATION OF CAST COMPONENTS | The reliable identification of castings is an attractive goal in many respects. For example, it permits the unambiguous assignment of production parameters to a specific component and thus enables quality documentation, as is increasingly required not only in the aerospace industry. In addition, it forms the basis for process control based on the individual component, as is being pursued in the context of Industry 4.0 approaches.

BRINGING NOVEL MATERIALS INTO PRODUCTION! | The field of "Core and Mold Materials" at Fraunhofer IFAM focuses on a wide range of research topics relating to materials and their processes for casting. The demand for higher functional integration in cast components and the associated increase in component complexity on the one hand, and the demand for sustainable, energy-saving processes on the other, is continuously increasing. Both require the development of new core and mold materials and their processes in the world of casting and its products.

"INTELLIGENT" CAST COMPONENTS FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, URBAN AIR MOBILITY AND MANY MORE | Materials, components, and structures with a certain degree of inherent "intelligence" are a central research topic at Fraunhofer IFAM. A typical field of application is the monitoring of mechanically loaded components in operation in all its gradations: from simple load monitoring to damage detection and localization to the prediction of the remaining component lifetime. The basis of such capabilities is a technical nervous system that detects loads and thus provides a basis for their evaluation: sensors.

SIMULATION AND MODELING OF CASTING PROCESSES | An important step for every casting development is the process simulation, in which the design of the casting itself, but also of the mold, is checked for production-compatible design and optimized if necessary. By mapping the entire casting process and subsequent solidification in detail, we can identify areas where casting defects are most likely to occur. The accompanying simulation significantly shortens development times and in many cases enables practical test series to be saved or reduced through realistic mapping of processes and procedures. In the sense of a digital twin, it can also be used for process monitoring and control.

In the area of casting technology, Fraunhofer IFAM has a broad technology portfolio for a wide range of industrial applications. This includes equipment in the following areas: Die casting / Squeeze casting, low pressure die casting, investment casting and gravity casting.

SHORT PROCESSING TIMES THANKS TO HYBRID CASTINGS - IDEAL FOR LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION | The field of "hybrid casting" deals with novel joining technologies using cast components. Directly integrated metallic structures or also plastics or fiber structures are used to realize a multi-material design. Directly during the casting process of the metal component, the possibility of material joining is given. This allows innovative components to be realized with savings in production steps, bringing with them various advantages.

With its expertise in the field of casting technology, Fraunhofer IFAM supports industrial customers in the casting technology implementation of an idea from the concept to the first prototype to the applicable product. Different casting processes and materials are available suitable for the respective problem.

Fraunhofer IFAM has now developed a novel solution for the dynamic improvement of the kinematics: the hybrid drive for industrial robots.