New developments in machining technology focusing on - also with regard towards a sustainable production - optimization of cooling strategies at the machining process of difficult materials, process chain shortening through hard machining or the application of hybrid technologies, particle and fibre reinforced light weight materials as well as the machining of thin-wall components.

The demand for resource-friendly production also applies to the removal of material. This means, for example, that use and preparation of the cooling lubricant is associated with high energy usage and material in the form of chips accumulates as waste. The logical consequences of this are an increase in energy efficiency as a result of transferring to integral dry machining respectively minimal quantity lubrication and an improvement in material efficiency through extensive use of near-net-shape processes in combination with precision machining techniques.

The focus of research at Fraunhofer IWU is the development and optimization of innovative metal cutting technologies and process chains, both for tool construction and powertrain or aircraft components and components for power and medical engineering. Conducting manufacturing analyses as well as feasibility studies, technological specification and dimensioning of production devices, testing of machining strategies, new tools and materials as well as small batch series represent significant aspects of the work carried out here.

The energy and resource-efficient manufacture of powertrain components is one of the issues that Fraunhofer is looking at with an eye to the future. Here Fraunhofer IWU is focussing both on design changes to components and on the investigation and further development of processes that are appropriate for the production of tribologically optimized functional surfaces. This includes laser structuring, electrochemical machining as well as belt and stone finishing. The design and evaluation of the tribological effectiveness and durability of such finishes represent important challenges. Another focus of Fraunhofer IWU‘s research is on the process design for the machining of lightweight and high-strength materials such as titanium, Inconel and TZM (titaniumzircon- molybdenum) together with material compounds and composite materials. The focus hereby lies in the development of modern cooling strategies.

Additional to the process added cold or warmth as well as adaptronical or ultrasound based overlapping of material movements are part of the development of hybrid processes. That indicates that there is a significant potential for relocating the yet applied production process limits.

The highest precision machining is aimed at developing processes and technologies, including the necessary operational equipment, for manufacturing of precision components and micro structured surfaces. The micro and surface technology field supplements the portfolio, especially for medical and optical applications, with special procedures such as hot stamping of metals, glass and plastics or high speed forming and electrochemical machining.

A mutual base for working on the development of resource efficient machining processes is the numerical simulation of chip and burr formation, tool design, tool and work piece clamping technology, layer substrate technology as well as the influence of process forces and temperatures of the component behaviour. The overall goal of the numerical observation is the interconnection of machine and machining simulations to a continuous process simulation.