Feb 26 2015
AZL, the worldwide unique competence network for Integrative Lightweight Production Technology in Aachen, Germany, representing already 9 research institutes on the Campus of RWTH Aachen University which are active in various related fields, announces the launch of their new department for Joining Technology, as of beginning of 2015.
Dr. Michael Emonts, CEO of the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production (AZL) at RWTH Aachen University explains the reason for this decision:
We and our partners see Joining as an important enabling technology for the successful and sustainable realization of cost-efficient and high-quality multi-material systems based on fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) to achieve the full use of their outstanding lightweight properties.
To emphasize this, AZL of RWTH Aachen University just founded the new Joining Technology department with Prof. Dr. Uwe Reisgen as its head of Department and Alexander Schiebahn as Chief Engineer.
With this new department, we are happy to complete our full lightweight production service in material science and production technology which we offer to our customers.
The joining of different materials with deferring properties or requirements represents a wellknown challenge in the industry due to the eventual arising weaknesses in this specific area of a part. At the same time, this is exactly where the potential for advanced material properties at decreased costs lies.
The major aim of the new AZL department is the development of joining technologies which will fit to the material-specific properties of e.g. FRP-Metal combinations on the one hand and the integration of these technologies in the process chain on the other hand.
Prof. Dr. Uwe Reisgen, Head of the new Joining Technology department:
The integration of joining in the already outstanding existing interdisciplinary services provided by AZL will lead to an even stronger combination of product and process development, ultimately leading to technically and economically improved FRP and multi-material parts.
During a workshop in January 2015, the AZL has already discussed relevant research topics in the field of joining together with its research and industrial partners. A workshop to follow up on this discussion will take place in June 2015.
By now, AZL counts 54 industrial partners representing the entire lightweight production value chain from the raw material producer, over molders, manufacturing equipment suppliers, Tier 1 and Tier 2 to OEMs, from SMEs to large multinational corporations, from Germany to Mexico, China or Japan.
About AZL
The worldwide unique lightweight competence network “Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production” (AZL) of RWTH Aachen demonstrates significant lightweight expertise in research and development. The objective of the Aachen Centre for Integrative Lightweight Production is the transformation of lightweight design in mass production. This requires strict interdisciplinary collaboration between the material science and production technology which will be carried out by the lightweight activities of the RWTH Aachen University. At the Campus Melaten of RWTH Aachen University all needed competencies of the whole value chain are available in walking distance. Over 700 scientists work on production technologies, lightweight materials and applications at the Campus Melaten.