Excellent research
Another key factor: “Components from the 3D printer are up to 80% lighter than conventionally manufactured products – and therefore of great interest for aircraft construction,” says Emmelmann. Together with his partners Airbus and Concept Laser, the professor and his team developed the research project “3D printing in civil aircraft construction – a manufacturing revolution is taking off” a cabin holder made of titanium and was awarded for it. Inspired by a bird’s bone structure and manufactured using bionic 3-D printing, the weight of the three-dimensional, highly stressable component made of metal was reduced by almost 50%. The research team was thus one of the three best innovations for the German Future Prize at the end of 2015. The Federal President’s Prize for Technology and Innovation is awarded for pioneering ideas that have been developed to market maturity and is one of the most important science prizes in Germany.
Research as a location factor
“This is actually a very radiant prize, which has put Hamburg in the spotlight, which in turn fueled the interest and commitment on the part of politics and industry,” emphasizes Emmelmann. The LZN Laser Zentrum Nord GmbH was founded as a spin-off of the iLAS in 2009, which was successfully integrated into the Fraunhofer Society was incorporated as the Fraunhofer Institute for Additive Production Technologies IAPT, or Fraunhofer IAPT for short – after all, one of the world’s leading institutions in 3D printing research
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