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EXC 1075:  Merge Technologies for Multifunctional Lightweight Structures - MERGE

Subject Area Production Technology
Mechanics and Constructive Mechanical Engineering
Term from 2012 to 2019
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 194654001
 
Final Report Year 2020

Final Report Abstract

Future technological and product developments will be measured by their enhancement of resource and energy efficiency for the purpose of sustainable climate protection with significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Key technologies for mass production of lightweight components are pivotal to implementing the required measures. The main objective of the Cluster of Excellence “MERGE Technologies for Multifunctional Lightweight Structures” is to combine basic technologies suitable for the resource-efficient mass production of lightweight structures with high performance density and high functional density. The cluster's mission is to exploit the existing savings potential, both in the production process, by using merged technologies, and during the use phase, by reducing the weight of components. In so doing, MERGE is following the long-term strategy of Bivalent Resource Efficiency (BRE strategy). The research work focuses on combination technologies for in-line and in-situ processing of metal, plastics and textiles. All of these processes are characterized by their suitability for mass production, which henceforth have to align with mass customization. In addition, the functionality of lightweight structures will be increased by integrating micro- and nano-systems. This enables the potential for energy saving and lightweight construction to be fully utilized, while simultaneously considering consistent digitalization – from product creation, to the use phase, right through to remanufacturing. The hybridization of processes and structures requires, among others, cross-process design of tailor-made interfaces, multi-criteria simulation-based optimization, and an assessment of sustainability that uses a systemic approach. Close collaboration takes place between engineering and natural sciences on the one hand, and between technology- and design-related disciplines on the other hand within the established Merge Central Institution at Chemnitz University of Technology (CUT), which serves as a platform for interdisciplinary research. The institutional concentration of the research partners at a single location – the Technology Campus – benefits the transfer of knowledge for process merging and has led to a prioritization of CUT by defining the core competencies of “Materials and Intelligent Systems” and “Resource-Efficient Manufacturing and Lightweight Construction”. The profile sharpening is facilitated by numerous measures within MERGE which have been specifically established for this purpose: International Master's Programme, new full professors and endowed chairs, Open-Access Journal, Scientific and Industrial Advisory Boards, MTC e. V., and the MERGEurope International Lightweight Innovation Network. The expansion of the MERGE Technology Centre, which was launched 2016, is already a central component of the university’s strategic focus and that of the Free State of Saxony.

Link to the final report

https://doi.org/10.2314/KXP:1698767064

Publications

 
 

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