The Institute of Manufacturing Technology and Materials Testing (IFW) brings together the fields of manufacturing technology and materials engineering in teaching and research. The IFW is part of the Faculty of Production Engineering and Management and pools the university’s materials engineering expertise in terms of both staff and equipment.
The IFW is currently establishing a large-scale research facility for high-resolution imaging techniques and 3D measurement technology. It offers state-of-the-art technologies such as scanning electron microscopy and industrial computed tomography, thereby significantly strengthening the research and laboratory infrastructure of the THU.
Faculty of Production Engineering & Production Management (P)
The IFW conducts application-oriented research into innovative materials and production technologies. The focus is on
Research is carried out in close cooperation with industry and other research institutions. Students are actively involved through project work and theses as well as student assistants.
NEW! From 24.09.2024: "Large-scale research equipment project for the procurement of a micro X-ray computer tomograph (acronym: )", funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg (MWK, 60%) and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, 40%), project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. A. Häger (IFW), duration 24.09.2024 - 31.01.2026
"Physiologically adapted development strategies for innovative dental implants (short: PhInoDent)", funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the "FHKooperativ" funding program, project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing.Ing. T. Engleder (IMM), Prof. Dr. R. Schneider (IMM), project partners: ADVANTIQX (Gersthofen), goodBIONICS Biotechnologie GmbH (Mauerstetten) & University Hospital Ulm, duration 01.10.2023 - 30.09.2027
"Fundamental investigations into the in-situ alloy formation of individually adapted Al alloys by means of filler wire-supported, additive MSG welding with special consideration of process-material interaction ( AddAlProd for short)", funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as part of the "ZIM" funding program, project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karsten Günther (IFW), project partners: companies, duration 01.10.2023 - 30.09.2025
"New titanium alloys for reversible dental implants with maximum strength (short: TiReZa) - Subproject: Materials engineering qualification of the titanium alloy Ti-36Nb-2Ta-3Zr-0.3O (TNTZ-O) for dental applications", funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the "KMU-innovativ" funding program, project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. A. Häger (IFW), Prof. Dr.-Ing. T. Engleder (IMM), project partners: ADVANTIQX (Gersthofen), goodBIONICS Biotechnologie GmbH (Mauerstetten), Plasma Metall GmbH (Bremen) & Technical University of Braunschweig, duration 01.08.2023 - 31.07.2026
"CO₂ reduction through mechanically produced reinforcement mesh ( RebWeave for short)", funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs as part of the "invest-bw" funding program, project management: Prof. Dr. R. Schneider (IMM), Prof. Dr.-Ing.Ing. T. Engleder (IMM), project partners: Zweigart & Sawitzki GmbH & Co. KG (Sindelfingen) & Aalen University, duration 01.01.2023 - 31.07.2025
"Development of a novel hot-wire supported MSG build-up welding process for hard material reinforced wear protection alloys ( AntiAbrasive for short)", funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as part of the "ZIM" funding program, project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karsten Günther (IFW), project partners: companies, duration 01.10.2021 - 31.07.2024
A. Roegnitz, E. Merz, H. Mantz, C. Siemers, A. Haeger: Tribological Investigation of the Novel Titanium Alloy TNTZ-O for Dental Implant Applications: Subsequent Results of a Comparative Study, Tribology - Lubrication Friction Wear (Tribologie und Schmierungstechnik), Vol. 72(2), pp. 12-18 (2025).https://elibrary.utb.de/doi/abs/10.5555/tus202520012
A. Roegnitz, A. Haeger: The tribological behavior of titanium alloys suitable for dental implants: A short review, Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering, Vol. 10(4), pp. 530-534 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2024-213
r: A short review of modification techniques for titanium dental implant surfaces, Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering, Vol. 10(4), pp. 490-493 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2024-2120
S.M. Schneider, T. Engleder, R. Schneider, A. Haeger: Do we need new standards in dental implant testing? A critical short review on ISO 14801, Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering, Vol. 10(4), pp. 559-562 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2024-2137
A. Roegnitz, H. Mantz, A. Haeger: Tribological Investigation of the Novel Titanium Alloy TNTZ-O for Dental Implant Applications: Preliminary Results of a Comparative Study, in Gesellschaft für Tribologie e.V. (ed.): Tagungsband zur 65. GfT-Jahrestagung (23.-25.09.2024 in Göttingen), pp. 505-508 (2024), ISBN 978-3-9817451-9-1
I. Veloso, S. M. Schneider, T. Engleder, R. Schneider, A. Haeger: Properties of Novel Basalt Fiber Composite Bars for Reinforcement in Concrete Structures, in V. Mechtcherine, C. Signorini, D. Junger (eds.): Transforming Construction: Advances in Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Proceedings of XI International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Concrete (15.-18.09.2024 in Dresden), RELIM Bookseries, pp. 652-661, Springer Nature Switzerland Cham (2024), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-70145-0 78
T. Engleder, I. Veloso, A. Haeger, R. Schneider: CO₂ reduction through machine-made reinforcement mats made of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer, BFT International 05/2024: Proceedings 68th BetonTage (14.-16.05.2024 in Ulm), pp. 128-129, Bauverlag Gütersloh (2024)
F. Lissek, M. Kaufeld, J. P. Bergmann, W. Hintze: Damage-free drilling of compliant CFRP structures: A question of timing, Werkstatt u. Betrieb 01/2022, p. 28, 17.02.2022, https://www.werkstatt-betrieb.de/a/fachartikel/eine-frage-des-timings-358589
M. Brandstätter, A. Wöhrle, M. Kaufeld, F. Pude, A. Nag, S. Hloch: The quantitative evaluation of the cutting surface quality levels in abrasive water jet cutting by measurement of the representative striation mark displacement, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 120, Issue 3-4, pp. 1625 - 1642 (2022), https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00170-022-08853-6
D. Meinhard, A. Haeger, V. Knoblauch: Drilling induced defects on carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyamides and their effect on mechanical properties, Composite Structures, Vol. 256, 113138 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.113138
P. Filippov, M. Kaufeld, M. Ebner, U. Koch: Investigation of the Effect of End Mill Geometry on Roughness and Surface Strain Hardening of Aluminum Alloy AA6082, Materials , 13(14) 3078, pp. 1-16 (2020), https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13143078
A. Haeger, M. Grudenik, M. J. Hoffmann, V. Knoblauch: Effect of drilling-induced damage on open hole flexural fatigue of carbon/epoxy composites, Composites Stuctures, Vol. 215, pp. 238-248 (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2019.02.025
: A study of wear on focusing tubes exposed to corundum-based abrasives in the waterjet cutting process, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 104, pp. 1-13 (2019), https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-03971-0
F. Lissek, A. Haeger, V. Knoblauch, S. Hloch, F. Pude, M. Kaufeld: Acoustic emission for interlaminar toughness testing of CFRP: Evaluation of the crack growth due to burst analysis, Composites Part B: Engineering, Vol. 136, Supplement C, pp. 55-62 (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2017.10.012
F. Lissek, S. Hloch, M. Kaufeld: Time-dependent feed force modeling to apply feed rate strategies in the drilling of unsupported CFRP-structures, in Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering - Advances in Manufacturing Engineering and Materials, pp. 264-280, Springer Verlag (2018), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99353-9_29
F. Lissek, J. Tegas, M. Kaufeld: Online monitoring and damage quantification during drilling of CFRP: structure-borne sound analysis and delamination profiles as new evaluation methods, in Tagungsband zum 8. Landshuter Leichtbau-Colloquium, March 8-9, 2017, Landshut University of Applied Sciences (207)
C. Dietrich, H. Lohse: Bonding starts before bonding (Part 1 & 2), Konstruktionspraxis 10 & 11 (2017), https://www.konstruktionspraxis.vogel.de/kleben-faengt-vor-dem-kleben-an-teil-i-a-6471
A. Perec, F. Pude, M. Kaufeld, K. Wegener: Obtaining the selected surface roughness by means of mathematical model based parameter optimization in abrasive waterjet cutting, Strojniski Vestnik - Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 63, pp. 606-613 (2017), https://doi.org/10.5545/sv-jme.2017.4463
D. Schwarz, M. Becker, A. Haeger, L. Kalien: Hybrid components made of CFRP and aluminum die casting, Giesserei (ISSN 0016-9765), 103, pp. 44-49 (2016)
S. Gaugel, P. Sripathy, A. Haeger, D. Meinhard, T. Bernthaler, F. Lissek, M. Kaufeld, V. Knoblauch, G. Schneider: A comparative study on tool wear and laminate damage in drilling of carbon-fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP), Composite Structures, Vol. 155, pp. 173-183 (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2016.08.004
A. Haeger, G. Schoen, F. Lissek, D. Meinhard, M. Kaufeld, G. Schneider, S. Schuhmacher, V. Knoblauch: Non-Destructive Detection of Drilling-induced Delamination in CFRP and its Effect on Mechanical Properties, Procedia Engineering, Vol. 149, pp. 130-142 (2016), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.06.647
F. Lissek, M. Kaufeld, J. Tegas, S. Hloch: Online-monitoring for abrasive waterjet cutting of CFRP via acoustic emission: Evaluation of machining parameters and work piece quality due to burst analysis, Procedia Engineering, Vol. 149, pp. 67-76, (2016), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.06.640
F. Lissek, J. Tegas, M. Kaufeld: Damage quantification for the machining of CFRP: An introduction about characteristic values considering shape and orientation of drilling-induced delamination, Procedia Engineering, Vol. 149, pp. 2-16 (2016), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.06.632
A. Haeger, D. Meinhard, F. Lissek, M. Kaufeld, M. J. Hoffmann, G. Schneider, V. Knoblauch: Interaction between laminate quality, drilling-induced delamination and mechanical properties in machining of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), Material Science and Engineering Technology, Vol. 47, 11, SI, pp. 997-1014 (2016), https://doi.org/10.1002/mawe.201600626
The IFW sees itself as a cross-university teaching and research facility in the disciplines of production engineering and materials technology. Laboratory practicals are compulsory in most engineering degree courses. In our laboratories, our students receive practical training and carry out application-oriented research projects.
Laboratory courses at the IFW:
Program abbreviations (Bachelor): PM = Production Management, MC = Mechatronics, MT = Medical Technology, MB = Mechanical Engineering, FZ = Automotive Engineering
The IFW offers practical training courses in cooperation with external partners:
Training as an adhesive specialist - in cooperation with the Fraunhofer IFAM, contact at THU: Prof. Dr. Christian Dietrich
Training as a welding engineer (SFI) - in cooperation with the Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH, contact at THU: Avdo Muminovic
Several Steinbeis Transfer Centers are located at the IFW. They facilitate the direct transfer of knowledge to industry:
Materials Technology and Failure Analysis
Head: Prof. Dr.-Ing.
Production Technology & Machine Tools
Head: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Kaufeld
High-pressure water jet technology
Head: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Kaufeld & Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Pude
Joining technology on plastics and metals
Head: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Dietrich & Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volkmar Schuller
