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Basic research for Industry 4.0 – Joint project by TRUMPF and Fraunhofer IPA
Ditzingen / Stuttgart, July 29, 2015 – The TRUMPF company, world leader in machine
tools for flexible sheet metal processing and industrial lasers, is embarking on a five-year
strategic joint venture with the Stuttgart-based Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing
Engineering and Automation IPA. The aim of this long-term cooperation is to integrate
current research findings from Industry 4.0 into sheet metal processing. In the so-called
“TRUMPF LAB,” employees of TRUMPF and Fraunhofer IPA will be working together to
develop innovative solutions for the manufacturing technology of the future.
The TRUMPF LAB is part of the Stuttgart Technology and Innovation Center, or S-TEC for short. This new concept of a collaborative research campus was the brainchild of the
Fraunhofer IPA and Stuttgart University as well as its affiliated institutions. The other
Stuttgart Fraunhofer Institutes and regional and national industrial enterprises also belong to S-TEC, which has produced not only the technology-oriented TRUMPF LAB but
also initiatives such as “ARENA2036” for lightweight construction.
“With these initiatives, we‘re bundling public and private sector research activities in
one location, and focusing on topics with strong socio-political relevance in a targeted
manner,” explains Professor Thomas Bauernhansl, Director of the Fraunhofer IPA. “This
industry-on-campus concept represents a research, development and demonstration
environment producing hands-on innovative solutions. I‘m looking forward very much
to working with TRUMPF, and I‘m very optimistic that the results from this cooperation
will not only be of market relevance for the company itself but also for other firms from
other sectors.”
In the new TRUMPF LAB at Fraunhofer IPA, employees of both project partners will be
working together on the basic research into Industry 4.0. The cooperation will include
many aspects of the factory of the future, with the initial projects focusing on “intralogistics”, “the service-oriented machine” and “self-governing production.” The aim is for content to evolve during the course of the joint venture – so new project topics will
be regularly added.
The expectations of Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Prokop, Director of Development and Purchasing
at TRUMPF, are correspondingly high: “We expect a great deal from this cooperation,
since two different perspectives are being combined here under one roof: TRUMPF‘s deep knowledge of customer needs, technologies and markets in the sheet metal processing sector, and Fraunhofer IPA‘s scientific approach plus its extensive experience from many industrial projects relating to Industry 4.0. This combination has great potential for innovation. We plan to elaborate ideas for new solutions and business models, and develop them further using application-based functional models. The goal is to raise the productivity and profitability of companies in sheet metal production to a new level.”
TRUMPF sees the developments surrounding Industry 4.0 as a great opportunity. For
years now, the company has actively contributed toward the networked production of
the future. For example, TRUMPF participates in various working groups and projects in
order to contribute experience, expertise and ideas. Since 2011, the company has been
a member of the Industry 4.0 working group initiated by the Federal Government, and
has played a major role in defining the “smart factory of the future.” TRUMPF is also a
member of the working group SmartService Welt, and a partner in the Federal Ministry
of Education and Research‘s CyProS project, the Smart Data Innovation Lab, and Allianz
Industry 4.0 BW.
Since the 1990s, Fraunhofer IPA has run a globally unique learning factory for adaptable
production; now, in the age of Industry 4.0, the most diverse cyber-physical systems are
being integrated into it and networked together. With financial support from the State
of Baden-Wuerttemberg and project partnerships from industry, machines, software
and processes are being integrated into the so-called “Application Center Industry 4.0”
and being made fit for the future. The cooperation with TRUMPF also fits in with this
application model, and will benefit from already established expertise.
Digital photographs in print-ready resolution are available to illustrate this press release.
They may only be used for editorial purposes. Use is free of charge when credit is given
as “Source: Fraunhofer IPA / Foto: Clemens Hess”. Graphic editing – except for dropping
out the main motive – is prohibited. Additional photos can be accessed on the company
website: www.trumpf.com/en/press/media-services
Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Prokop, Head of Development and Purchasing at TRUMPF (left) and Professor Thomas Ba ...
Source: Fraunhofer IPA/ Foto: Clemens Hess
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From left: TRUMPF Project Manager Klaus Bauer, Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Prokop, Professor Thomas Bauerhansl, ...
Source: Fraunhofer IPA/ Foto: Clemens Hess
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