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Meeting Place EuropeNanosciences, Nanotechnology, Materials and New Production Technologies

in the EU Research Framework Programmes

– Success Stories and Future Perspectives –

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Meeting Place EuropeNanosciences, Nanotechnology, Materials and New Production Technologies

in the EU Research Framework Programmes

– Success Stories and Future Perspectives –

�INTRODUCTION

Introduction

The 7th Framework Research Programme of the European

Union supports the future-oriented fields of science and

research. With this programme, the European Union has

taken a major step towards meeting the objectives of the

Lisbon strategy and make Europe the world`s strongest

economic area by 2010. National initiatives, such as the

High-tech Strategy for Germany, will provide further

substantial contributions towards achieving this goal.

The 7th Research Framework Programme is able to build on

the extensive experience gathered in preceding European

Framework Programmes, while preserving the continuity of

research activities in areas with long-term development

potential, such as nanosciences, nanotechnology, materials

and new production technologies. These key technologies

and skills, which in future will make a major contribution to

economic, environmental and security-related innovations,

had already been funded in previous Framework

Programmes.

The present brochure provides an overview of successful

projects in the fields of nanotechnology, materials and pro-

duction research that have been carried out under German

co-ordination. The brochure also highlights the possibilities

for European funding within the 7th Research Framework

Programme. Both science and industry are called upon to

actively structure and implement European co-operation.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research therefore

encourages participants to contribute high-potential projects

to the 7th Framework Programme – for innovation in science,

in Germany and in Europe.

Dr Annette Schavan, MP

Federal Minister of Education and Research

�

Contents

“We need to re-think” 6

Interview with Nicholas Hartley, EC Directorate-General for Research.

Interim Evaluation of European Research Funding 8

Opinions of the 7th Research Framework Programme 8

German Applicants Successful in Brussels for Many Years 9

FP5 Results 9

Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies 10

Under the Microscope: A Laboratory for the Nano-world 11

A Nano-layer for the Highest Demands 13

Nano-materials Protect Against Corrosion 15

Materials Research and Materials Development 16

Every-day Plastics Stronger as Composites 17

One Layer of Glass Makes Implants Safer 19

Super Steel for Europe’s Oil Pipelines 20

When Foams Improve Crash Behaviour 22

New Production Technologies 24

Electronic Network for the Virtual Factory 25

Optimal Communication Between Planning and Production 28

Methodological Recipes for a Modular Factory 29

How to Apply for Funding 32

Preparing an Application 32

Consortium Applicants 32

Submission and Evaluation of Applications 32

Criteria for a Promising Proposal 33

Trends and Future Themes 33

From an Idea to a Successful Project 34

CONTENTS

� INTERvIEw

Nicholas Hartley, EC Directorate-General for Research

“We need to re-think”

Nicholas Hartley, EC Directorate-General for Research,

explains why from 2007 onwards, the European Union is

making a concerted effort to promote nanosciences, nano-

technologies, materials and production technologies under

the specific programme on “Cooperation” as part of the

7th Research Framework Programme.

What role do nanosciences and technologies, materials and new

production technologies play in the concert of themes covered by

the 7th EU Research Framework Programme?

First of all, we have consolidated research funding in the

fields of nanotechnologies, materials and new production

technologies in Theme 4 of the specific programme “Coop-

eration” to pursue the principle objective of the 7th RFP: the

competitiveness of European industries. Moreover, we seek

to make a major contribution to achieve the objectives set for

Europe by the Heads of Government in Lisbon in 2000, i.e. to

create a “dynamic knowledge-based economy“. To this end, at

a subsequent meeting in Barcelona it was agreed that by 2010

Member States will increase their annual research spending

to at least three per cent of their gross national product; two-

thirds of this amount should be provided by the private

sector.

So those are the political objectives of research funding in

the areas of nanosciences, materials and production technolo-

gies.

Correct. Politically, the objective is the dynamic further

development of Europe. However, to a major degree, the 7th

Research Framework Programme is also about strengthening

an innovative approach to research and development. I am

convinced that nano-research has some technological surpris-

es in store for us in the future – we must have an open mind to

recognise such innovation. In short – we are in a phase of tran-

sition, where we need to fundamentally change the way we

are thinking to be able to achieve new and innovative results.

By the way, this applies to all of the programme’s themes. We

hope that with the 7th Research Framework Programme we

will be able to enter new scientific and technological territo-

ries and to gradually approach the way in which things will

need to be done in the future.

This sounds quite ambitious.

Indeed. But we also have to face new challenges in Europe.

Globalisation has opened up markets to new competitors -

just think about all the up-and-coming Asian countries, think

about the rapidly developing newly industrialising countries

of South America. We are no longer able to compete in many

traditional economic areas such as industrial mass produc-

tion of products at low wage-level. This is a major challenge

for us. Excellent! It means that we need to use our brains! One

of the key issues for the success of the 7th Research Framework

Programme will be to assist Europe with its transition from a

resource-based to a knowledge-based society.

What exactly is a “knowledge-based society”?

So far it is largely an idea, a vision, which at this stage can-

not be defined finally and with total accuracy. But the term

expresses very well where we want to get to: we should use

our intellect to develop and implement smart ideas.

So what needs to be done within the subject area of nanotechnol-

ogy, materials and production technology?

We have quite consciously combined these three themes into

one – we have even dispensed with allocating sub-budgets to

individual themes. When we invite the submission of project

proposals – whereby requirements in each case are phrased

very specifically – we want to make sure that the best propos-

als prevail: all applications – be it in the field of nanosciences,

materials development or new production technologies

– compete with each other.

Is this approach a general trend of the 7th Research Framework

Programme?

Within the context of the 7th Research Framework Pro-

gramme we place emphasis on issues being tackled on a

macro level. We believe that in the future it will be of even

greater importance than today to combine exciting themes

7

from a variety of disciplines. The themes in the 7th Research

Framework Programme converge, get increasingly closer –

at this stage there are only very few programmes that address

this with such clarity.

Does this make it easier for applicants?

Oh yes! We give them much more freedom. Just think about

the specific programme on “Ideas”: it no longer contains

any topical restrictions like its predecessor programmes did,

where at times it was difficult to adapt an individual approach

to the quite narrow, pre-defined tasks. In other words: we

hope that the rather traditional – I am almost tempted to say,

worn-out – paths of research will be abandoned for more

unconventional, indeed, for revolutionary approaches. The

same applies to our NMP theme. Certainly there are specific

themes, but applicants can decide for themselves, how they

want to approach the challenges by using excellent science

and technology with the aim of finding future-orientated solu-

tions for Europe.

In the past, many were under the impression that EU research

programmes are structured rather bureaucratically.

This impression certainly was not totally inaccurate. Espe-

cially participating small and medium-sized companies

suffered and found our procedures rather complicated.

We have drawn conclusions from this justified criticism

and made some fundamental changes in the 7th Research

Framework Programme. Now there even is a separate sup-

port programme for participating small and medium-sized

companies.

What will the 7th EU Research Framework Programme achieve?

I would need a crystal ball to answer this question! But seri-

ously: the Internet makes collaboration easier for everyone

– even across national borders and language barriers. Now

we are able to really exploit our traditional strengths here in

Europe: our rather distinctive ability to cooperate in research

and industry. I would hope that within seven years we will

have made a fair bit of progress towards creating a unified

knowledge and research area in Europe.

INTERvIEw

The 7th Research Framework Programme

Since 1984, EC Research Framework Programmes have been

promoting cross-border research collaboration. The starting

signal for the 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) was

given on 1 January 2007, with a total budget of € 54 billion

available for a period of seven years (2007–2013).

FP7 comprises specific programmes for transnational

cooperative research (“Cooperation”), promotion of scien-

tific careers (“People”), infrastructures (“Capacities”), and

basic research (“Ideas”), as well as some special capacities.

Although “Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and

new production technologies” (NMP) may be covered by any

of those specific programmes, “Cooperation” includes NMP

as a separate theme (Theme 4).

NMP covers an area at the interface of basic and applied

research, including aspects of production of innovative

products. The main objective here is to support the com-

petitiveness of Europe’s industries with the aid of practi-

cal research results, providing an opportunity to halt the

de-industrialisation of Europe by producing “high-added

value” products.

� SEvENTH FRAMEwORK PROGRAMME

Interim Evaluation of European

Research Funding

Opinions on the 7th Research Framework Programme

… from a university: Professor Burkhard Rauhut, Vice Chancellor of RWTH Aachen

“Under the 6th EU

Research Framework Pro-

gramme (FP6) between

2002 and 2006, RWTH

Aachen was awarded

more than € 30 million to

fund a total of 142 projects.

Accordingly, RWTH

Aachen repeatedly took

first place among the uni-

versities of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. On a national

level too, RWTH Aachen was successful and came in third

behind Stuttgart and Munich.

Naturally, RWTH Aachen will seek to further improve this

positive result within FP7. It is the declared objective of RWTH

Aachen to continue and enhance its active participation of

already successful faculties such as Engineering, Electrical

and Information Technology, Mathematics, Informatics and

Sciences, and to strengthen participation by our other facul-

ties.“

“My company – which I

established over 30 years

ago – currently, employs

28 people. We have

been involved in numer-

ous European research

projects since the 3rd

EU Research Framework

Programme and have suc-

ceeded in carving out an

innovative advantage in

our area of business, i.e. medical engineering. One example

is a knee implant which can be bent up to 140 degrees – com-

pared to 120 degrees in the case of conventional devices.

This technology – which was developed as part of an

EU research project – included not only construction, but

also material development and coating of the implant and

opened up entirely new markets for us. Yet another example

of innovative product development within our company is

an operating table, which – made entirely from plastics – can

be penetrated by x-rays without any impediments. This has

proven to be an invaluable advantage particularly in the case

of complex operations for serious injuries.

Only through our involvement in EU research projects has

it been possible for us to build a separate research and devel-

opment department with now three full-time employees.

… from a medium-sized company: Wolfgang Roth, owner of Erothitan Titanimplantate AG

Today, more than 10 per cent of our staff are involved in

R&D tasks“.

�

German Applicants

Successful in Brussels

for Many Years

Within the just completed 6th Research Framework Pro-

gramme, industrial technologies were included in Thematic

Priority 3 – “Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, knowl-

edge-based multi-functional materials and new production

processes and devices“, which was allocated a total budget of

€ 1.45 billion. Compared to other European nations, Germany

held the top poistion with a share of 21% of the total budget.

2,900 consortia with more than 43,000 project partners from

across Europe applied for funding under the 6th Framework

Programme in the NMP field. Applications from 388 consortia

were approved, among them 319 with German project part-

ners and a total of 926 German partners in all. Forty per cent

of the successful applicants had an industrial background,

ensuring the economic implementation of the results.

German applicants were involved in all integrated

projects, networks of excellence and coordination activi-

ties and thus in all innovation developments of strategic

importance. More than 80% of all projects involving small and

medium-sized companies as well as research-focused projects

were carried out with German participation. However, it

must also be taken into account that the themes called in

the 6th Research Framework Programme were considerably

over-subscribed and that therefore on average, only one in six

applications ultimately received funding.

FP5 Results

As the majority of projects under the 6th Research Framework

Programme have not yet been completed, a final evaluation

of the scientific and technological results achieved from

European research funding will only be possible at a later

date. Numerous positive experiences under the 5th Research

Framework Programme – detailed on the following pages

– demonstrate that participation in EU programmes does not

only pay for universities and research institutions, but espe-

cially for companies.

NMP Themes in FP7

NMPThe following NMP themes have been set for the duration of

the Framework Programme:

Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences

Both knowledge-orientated research on nano-phenomena

as well as application-orientated technological develop-

ments will be funded, covering not only pure research, but

in-depth studies of ecological impacts as well.

MaterialsAt the interface of nanotechnology and biotechnology,

research on nanostructured materials, biomaterials, and

bio-inspired materials will be funded as well as innovative

research aimed at solving current environmental and ener-

gy issues by developing materials for extreme conditions,

with effective utilisation of resources or with improved

energy efficiency. Finally, intelligent materials with tailored

features, chemical technologies and materials production

complete the funding portfolio.

New Production TechnologiesIntegrated concepts (in the meaning of product life cycles)

will be funded from product conception through to product

recycling, at all stages closely involving the client. In addi-

tion, financial support is provided for developing flexible

production concepts which aim at high-quality products

and efficient production at minimal volume. EU funding

also targets the development of globally integrated produc-

tion to create a competitive advantage for European com-

panies.

Integration of Industrial Applications“Integration” combines developments in the fields of nan-

otechnology, materials and production for selected indus-

tries or areas of application. Examples are wood, textiles,

vehicles, health and construction.

For further information visit:www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de

For information regarding successful proposal applica-

tions, evaluation criteria and participation opportunities

for selecting themes see p. 32.

■

■

SEvENTH FRAMEwORK PROGRAMME

http://www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.deFor

http://www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de

10

Matthias Brucke, Offis e.V., Oldenburg:

“Handling nano-particles is not easy, because they are

so light, that they stick to anything.“

NANOTECHNOLOGY

11NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanosciences and

NanotechnologiesThe term “nanotechnology” describes a field of research that is deemed particularly innovative and has a promising future.

The 7th EU Research Framework Programme also especially focuses on long-term interdisciplinary research and technology

development.

Under the Microscope: A Laboratory for the Nano-world

Only few people have any definite ideas when they hear about

the “nano-world“. This is not surprising, since the compo-

nents of this miniature universe can be made visible only with

the aid of complicated microscopes. At the same time, the

physical laws of this world are different from those that apply

in our familiar macro-world. Gravity, for example, plays only

a minor role for objects of that size, as they are permanently

floating in the air or stick to surfaces.

Under the leadership of Professor Sergej Fatikov and his

Department of Microbiotics and Control Engineering (AmiR)

at the University of Oldenburg, the ROBOSEM research

project was initiated with the objective of developing tools

which allow for the automated handling of components in

that world. “We aimed at creating a laboratory with mini-

ature robots, where nano-objects could be assembled, trans-

ported, sorted and tested“, reports Matthias Brucke, who is

in charge of micro systems engineering and nano-handling

at the OFFIS Institute for Information Technology in Olden-

burg.

In addition to other research activities in the area of intel-

ligent integrated microsystems, Prof. Fatikov’s large, more

basic research-orientated projects are coordinated at this

institute. To make all processes visible and hence control-

lable, the researchers have integrated a scanning electron

microscope (SEM) into their nano-laboratory. In the course

of the project, which involved 15 partners from four differ-

ent countries, four “demonstrators” were developed, devices

which exemplarily demonstrate the technologies that make it

possible to carry out certain tasks in the nano-world.

“In a way, the scanning electron microscope is our video

camera“, says Brucke. Within this device, the object under

examination is scanned by an electron beam in a grid like

manner similar to a television set, where the picture is created

line by line by an electron beam. The wavelength of the elec-

tron beam, which is shorter than that of visible light, increases

the resolution, i.e. it visualizes much smaller objects than a

light optical microscope would be able to. However, a disad-

vantage of a SEM is that due to the grid-type scanning, each

scan takes a definite amount of time so that if a series of scans

is required, one either has to spend a lot of time or settle for

images of inferior quality.

Since the ROBOSEM developers sought to use the SEM

to visualize the processes and the movements of their tiny

robots in their nano-lab in order to be able to control these,

they selected a high repetition rate: “However, the images

thus obtained were extremely grainy“, says Brucke. Therefore,

image processing experts played a major role in the develop-

ment team, since it was necessary to filter usable information

from these images in order to make the processes going on in

the nano-laboratory comprehensible.

12

So-called “nano-tubes” are frequently chosen objects of inves-

tigation in this nano-universe, says Matthias Brucke. They are

made from pure carbon, have a diameter of only a few nano-

metres and a length of some micrometers. To illustrate this:

tens of thousands of objects of this size easily fit on the tip of a

pin. These tubes can be produced with the aid of a variety of

processes: in some methods, pure carbon (graphite) is evapo-

rated with the aid of an electric arc or with a laser; in others,

hydrocarbons are chemically decomposed.

The minuscule tubular elements thus created from car-

bon atoms have amazing features. Although their density is

only one-sixth of that of steel, their tensile strength is 20 times

greater. There are single and multi-trussed tubes, capable of

taking different sizes. Some of the nano-tubes created with

the said processes are electrically conductive, others are

semi-conducting and yet others have an insulating effect.

The problem with nano-tubes at present is that not only tubes

of the same type and size are created during the production

processes, but a wide mix of different sizes and features which

are difficult and expensive to sort.

The robot lab built into a SEM includes a swivelling,

mobile platform, which makes it possible to bring the object

to be studied as well as various tools into the focus of the

microscope. A built-in video camera enables the engineers to

determine the respective position of the platform. It is thus

possible, for example, to incorporate minuscule gripping

robots into this mobile system, which are capable of picking

up the tubes, moving them and putting them back down. It

must be taken into account that the nano-particles are not

subject to the laws of gravity and because of physical attrac-

tion they stick to any surface. To produce suitable grippers,

therefore, the so-called “piezoelectric effect” is used in which

certain crystals change their shape under electric voltage. If

the power is turned on, the tongs of the miniscule gripping

device bend and “catch hold“.

In addition, the project has succeeded in constructing a

miniature robot carrying a minuscule tank which is able to

release a targeted plasma beam which is capable of welding

electrically conductive nano-tubes, thus creating stretched

nano-wires. By using additional beam processes, three-

dimensional structures can be created, i.e. small towers can

be built. With the aid of an ion canon other mini-tools are

capable of cutting minuscule ridge-shaped samples from

silicon slices (wafers) which contain microchip circuitry pick

up these samples with the gripping tool, transport them to

the focussing area of the microscope and then visually check

these. This forms an important step in the quality control of

chips.

Within the frame of this project, Swiss researchers from

the Swiss Confederate Materials Science and Technology Insti-

tute EMPA have used this technology to write a text on a single

human hair – a signature visible only under a microscope:

“Fifty years from now, you might be able to see something like

this on fair-grounds“, contemplates Brucke.

By the way, this miniature laboratory can not only process

nano-objects, but it can also be used to sort individual human

cells. In this way, for example, it is possible to automatically

separate chemically labelled tumour cells from healthy cells

– a process which today requires extensive manual lab work

under the microscope.

NANOTECHNOLOGY

The miniature robots laboratory: the nano-universe is full

of picking, stamping and even piezoelectric handling and

sorting.

1�NANOTECHNOLOGY

The successful results of ROBOSEM formed the basis for a cur-

rent EU follow-up project called NANOHAND. The objective

of this long-term project is to develop a complete “tool box”

incorporated into an electron microscope. Whereas today it

is still necessary to build a separate SEM system for each tool

and for each process step, one day the microscope will be fitted

with a fully equipped laboratory in which the robots will select

from the box the right “tool” for each processing step, grip

such tool and use it at the respective mini construction site.

“Nano-electronics today are where micro-electronics

were in the fifties“, Matthias Brucke points out. It will prob-

ably take decades for current development work to result in

marketable products. “Numerous fundamental problems

have yet to be solved“, says the research manager, “last but not

least, because the physical laws of the nano-universe are not

known in our macro world”.

ROBOSEM

Project Duration: 01.04.2002 – 30.06.2005

Project Volume: € 4.9 million

EU Funding: € 2.2 million

Project Partners:

■ Coordinator: Offis e.V. (Germany)

■ Alicona Imaging GmbH (Germany)

■ Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH (Germany)

■ Dr. Volker Klocke Nanotechnik (Germany)

■ Nanoscale Technologies GmbH (Germany)

■ Point Electronic GmbH (Germany)

■ Centre National de la Recheche Scientifique

(France)

■ Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology

(Switzerland)

■ Institute of Electron Technology (Poland)

■ Micro-Beam Sarl (Switzerland),

■ Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

(Switzerland)

■ Swiss Federal Laboratories for MTR (Switzerland)

■ Fundacion Robotiker (Spain)

■ Progenika Biopharma S.A. (Spain)

■ Universidad de Navarra (Spain)

A Nano-layer for the

Highest Demands

Many high-performance tools used in industrial production

processes, such as for drilling, milling or machining of metal

parts, are subject to considerable wear and tear. The same

applies for high-speed machine and engine parts, where

low-friction and thus energy-saving operation is desirable.

Such high-stressed components therefore require either per-

manent liquid lubrication or their surface must be resistant

enough to withstand extreme stress.

Surface layers have been playing an increasing role in

recent years, and corresponding materials and technologies

are developing rapidly. One of the research objectives is to

significantly reduce or, if possible, to avoid environmentally

hazardous and recycling-intensive lubricants in a wide range

of uses. Technical systems that operate with minimal lubrica-

tion or “dry running“ processes, however, demand maximum

quality of surface layers in order to ensure the long life of

machines and tools.

Considerable progress and new insights in this area

were achieved by the NANOCOMP project, which involved

15 partners from six European countries. The project devel-

oped and optimised so-called “thin-layer nano-composites”,

which can be applied at relatively low temperatures onto

components and which accordingly can also be used to coat

temperature-sensitive tools and components. The project

was based on innovative technologies and tool concepts to

produce extremely thin, multi-functional layers from tita-

nium, aluminium, nitrogen and carbon. “Our aim was to use

the benefits of already existing technologies and tools while

reducing their respective disadvantages“, says project leader

Dr Michael Stüber from the Institute for Materials Research

(IMF-I) at the Karlsruhe Research Centre (FZK).

Such nano-composite layers are created by atomising the

base material by means of a magnetron sputter process or

through high-current arc evaporation; the resulting gas con-

densing on the surface of the material to be coated.

The NANOCOMP team modified material synthesis by

adding pure carbon to thin nano-crystalline hard material

layers (the crystals of which measure only a few nanome-

tres). Here, carbon – depending on the volume added dur-

ing production – creates various “states“: at low degrees

of concentration, the carbon is fully dissolved within the

crystal grid of the hard material phase. Once the solubility

limit has been exceeded, amorphous areas of pure carbon

are formed alongside the nano-crystalline material phase,

either as discrete clusters or as a continuous grain boundary

14

phase surrounding the hard material nanocrystals. These

changes in structure give the originally brittle crystalline

layer a certain flexibility and durability and might be visual-

ised as elastic carbon bridges forming flexible connections

between solid crystals. Such a high-tech coating provides

tool surfaces with a high degree of resistance against wear

while at the same time reducing friction. As correspond-

ing tests have shown, components with the new type of

composite coating can be used at temperatures of up to 850

degrees centigrade.

Within the project, researchers have developed this technology

to a point where it can be put into practical use: the new proc-

ess enables the effective coating of components on a laboratory

scale. In addition, NANOCOMP created a new type of deposi-

tion process in which the basic raw materials at the desired

mixing ratio are first compacted by presses and then this solid

material is evaporated in a coating process. This technology is

now also available on an industrial scale. Michael Stüber sees

possible uses for the newly developed technologies and materi-

als mainly in the automotive and tools industries.

NANOTECHNOLOGY

NANOCOMP




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH

(Germany)

Bodycote Shu Coartings Ltd (United Kingdom)

Edimodul Gear Cutting Tools Ltd (United Kingdom)

Hydra Clarkson International Ltd (United Kingdom)

Ionbond Ltd (United Kingdom)

■

■

■

■

■

Metatron Ltd (United Kingdom)

Sheffield Hallam University (United Kingdom)

National Institute of Materials Physics (Rumania)

University “Petru Maior“ (Rumania)

Swiss Center for Electroanics and Microtechnology S.A.

(Switzerland)

Fundacion Tekniker (Spain)

Heli-Tool S.A.L. (Spain)

Maier S. COOP (Spain)

Budapest University (Hungary)

Kuelloes Gear (Hungary)

Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials

Science (Hungary)

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

In the future, extremely thin, carbon-enriched nano-crystalline layers will not only toughen drill or cutter surfaces, but will also provide

increased durability and thus even greater resistance against wear and tear.

1�NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nano-materials Protect

Against Corrosion

Every year, corrosion causes billions in damage to machines

and structures. For engineers this means a permanent chal-

lenge and in a way this has become the industrial world’s

Sisyphean task. In particular, if oxygen in air or water attacks

materials such as steel or concrete, destruction is swift.

Chemically speaking this results from the attack by atmos-

pheric oxygen and in the case of steel rust forms because of

oxidation. However, materials are also damaged by acids or

other aggressive substances. In many areas of industry and

construction, therefore, protection against corrosion is a tre-

mendously important and ongoing task. Usually, the material

is covered with a protective coating which prevents direct

attack by corrosive substances. In the case of large structures,

machines or plants this is extremely expensive and time-con-

suming and in many cases the protective coating has to be

applied by hand.

The NANOPOL project has developed a new process for

protection against corrosion of large plants. “The objective

of the project was on the one hand to develop new types of

coatings based on nano-materials for protection against cor-

rosion“, explains Dr Rainer Busch, Technology Manager with

the chemical company Dow in Germany. “Parallel to this, the

development of a new type of technology was started, which

will allow for applying such materials automatically to large

components in a cost and time-efficient manner”.

The new process can be applied to a wide variety of

structures, such as oil platforms, concrete structures,

industrial floors or railway waggons. Previously, enormous

efforts were necessary to apply corrosion inhibitors to large

areas to protect them against corrosive environments. For

example, offshore platforms are exposed to an aggressive

mixture of salt water and air, especially in splash zones. Not

only applying the protective paint to such structures takes

time, but also the time required for its subsequent drying

and hardening.

In a first step, the project developed new types of protec-

tive materials starting with epoxy resins, which have been

well-proven in protection against corrosion. Clay minerals,

so-called “montmorillonites”, with particle sizes in the nano-

range were then added and the components carefully mixed

to ensure an even distribution of the nano-particles.

In a next step, the mixture is processed into a dry powder,

which is then melted within a fraction of a second by a flame

of up to 1000 degrees centigrade in a spraying gun, where it is

atomized and sprayed onto the surface requiring treatment.

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Immediately thereafter, the protective layer is dried and hard-

ened using a strong infra-red light system.

In this project, composites formed from various resins

and clay minerals in different concentrations were produced

and tested. The mineral nano-particles were dispersed evenly

within the epoxides’ polymer structure and in this way, very

thin, but extremely dense layers were formed, which reliably

protected surfaces. Sample steel plates treated in this way

have been undergoing an endurance test on an oil platform

in the North Sea for the past six months. Currently , develop-

ments are underway to develop the spraying gun further into

a test robot, which will allow for the automatic coating of sur-

faces on a “metre-by-metre” basis.

In the future, nano-engineered corrosion protectants applied

with a hot flame will seal particularly exposed surfaces, such

as those of chemical plants, oil platforms, concrete structures

or railway waggons.

NANOPOL




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: Dow Deutschland GmbH & Co. OHG

(Germany)

Ramboll Hannemann & Hojlund A/S (Denmark)

Akzo Nobel Powder Coatings Ltd (United Kingdom)

South Bank University (United Kingdom)

The Icelandic Building Research Institute (Iceland)

Ircon Drying Systems AB (Sweden)

1� MATERIALS

Heiner Becker, StructoForm GmbH, Aachen:

“We have been inspired by the principle of reinforced

concrete, where its stability is considerably increased

through imbedded wires.”

17MATERIALS

Materials Research

and Materials DevelopmentMaterials play a fundamental role in all areas of the 7th EU Framework Research Programme.

In a narrower sense, the design, development and processing of materials are funded. A glance at previous funding periods

shows that EU funds have already resulted in successful innovations.

Every-day Plastics Stronger as Composites

Strong, yet light, producible at little cost and time: a material

combining such features is every engineer’s dream. As, for

example, the HYJECT project has demonstrated, it is today

possible to come significantly closer to this goal. The partners

in HYJECT have developed a new category of plastics, includ-

ing the relevant process engineering all the way to a finished

prototype. The new plastics have outstanding mechanical

characteristics and can be produced both rapidly and inex-

pensively. “We were looking for the best possible variable

process which allows for the production of work-pieces with

tailor-made characteristics”, reports Project Co-ordinator

Heiner Becker of StructoForm GmbH in Aachen. The chief

advantage of this process lies in plastic hybrid engineering,

which combines a variety of production stages and compo-

nents. “The machine has been designed like a construction

kit“, says Becker, “with components that can be combined

flexibly to give the work-pieces the properties desired.”

In the case of plastics, there are two different lines of

development. On the one hand, there are the fibre-composite

materials, where polymers are reinforced by adding glass, car-

bon or ceramic fibres. The principle is similar to that of rein-

forced concrete, where its stability is considerably increased

by embedded wires. Thermosets are used as the matrices

for fibre-composite materials, i.e. epoxy resins, which (even

if heated) are no longer malleable. Such composite materi-

als exhibit strengths which exceed even that of steel. Their

production by means of press forming, moulding or injection

processes, however, requires considerable amounts of energy,

time and money.

On the other hand, there are the so-called thermoplastics.

In contrast to thermosets, they are malleable at room tem-

perature and melt at higher temperatures. Thermoplastic

components are mainly produced in a process called injection

moulding. It is possible to injection-mould several layers of

various plastic components in one cycle (sandwich process).

As thermoplastic components can be produced quickly and

cheaply, they are mainly used in mass production. However,

their strength and rigidity is insufficient to make them suit-

able for safety-relevant components such as in vehicles, with-

out considerable addition of fibres.

In the late 1990s, engineers at StructoForm GmbH in

Aachen had the idea of developing special injection moulding

processes where fibre composite technologies could also be

used. The aim was to develop complex layered and variable

composite components, which combine the time and cost

advantages of thermoplastics with the stability of thermoset

composites.

Five companies from Germany, The Netherlands, Swit-

zerland and France joined forces with the Federal Institute

for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in Berlin to form a

research collaboration. The participating partners brought

competences from a variety of specialist areas into the project,

1� MATERIALS

such as computer design, tool construction and mould mak-

ing, materials (composite textiles and thermoplastics), the

characterisation and testing of components as well as process

development and project management. In addition, each of

the participating companies had ready access to their nation-

al markets.

A pilot plant was built in Aachen, where it was possible

to variably combine various technologies and components

(multi-component plant). Its modular structure allowed for

the production of components with tailor-made characteris-

tics. On the one hand, up to four thermoplastic components

could be combined and processed by sandwich-injection

moulding; by selecting the appropriate composition, the man-

ufactured components could be given specific surface charac-

teristics. Through an injection process it was also possible to

inject gas and in this way create lighter, hollow structures.

However, the decisive progress made here is that it has

become possible to embed fibre structures into the compo-

nents, thus significantly increasing their strength.

In order to do this, the project consortium developed

corresponding fibre materials and also the necessary process

engineering in order to combine these reinforcements (“pre-

forms“) optimally with the polymer matrix. Mainly woven

tubes similar to textiles (“braids“) made from so-called con-

tinuous filaments (glass, carbon, aramid fibres, polyamide)

were used, which had been previously mainly applied in

thermosets.

In order to characterise and test the thus formed hybrid mate-

rials under standardised conditions, the partner companies

developed a so-called “dog bone“: this tubular test piece had

a (carbon) fibre braid skeleton covered with a thermoplastic

polymer. With the aid of a modified non-destructive test-

ing procedure (x-ray refraction computer tomography) the

material properties of the test components were tested at the

BAM. Especially an optimal bonding between the fibre core

and the polymer surrounding was shown to be decisive. Only

with the possibility of carrying out intensive tests of various

combinations of the components was it possible to make good

progress. It was shown that braids made from a mixture of

carbon and –thermoplastic fibres must first of all be thermally

pre-treated (“consolidated“) in order for them to bond into a

firm composite with the surrounding polymer matrix.

In order to have a specific goal during the development

of the project, the engineers based their work on the require-

ments for a brake pedal for automobiles. Today, such compo-

nents must meet high safety standards because of the possible

risk of fracture. The brake pedal prototype was produced anal-

ogous to the test piece as a combination of the thermoplastic

matrix with a textile tube and additional weight-saving cavi-

ties. The tests showed that the component had a high degree

of stability but was much lighter than comparable metal ele-

ments currently used in automobile construction.

Since completion of this EU-funded project, the Aachen-

based company has been able to further develop their hybrid

technology and is already cooperating in this field with

renowned automobile companies. Since then, additional

progress has been made with regard to strength by using new

types of thermoplastics as matrix. A next objective is to gradu-

ally increase the amount of fibre to 50 per cent, whereby the

current prototype development uses up to three fibre layers

as preforms.

In the meantime it has been established that this new

process has the potential for playing a promising role in the

highly competitive market of automotive components, in par-

ticular for tubular components. The focus here is placed on,

for example, pedals, stabilisers, bumpers as well as interior

components. “Of course, development has not halted at fibre

composites made from thermosets“, reports Heiner Becker,

“but production of fibre composites today takes between

40 and, in the ideal case, ten minutes, whereas comparable

work-pieces made with the aid of thermoplastic hybrid injec-

tion engineering can be churned out approximately every

Complex layered and variable composite components, combining the time and cost advantages of thermoplastics with the stability of

thermoset composite materials, are used, for example, in aircraft construction.

HYJECT




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: StructoForm GmbH (Germany)

Bundesamt für Materialforschung und -prüfung

(Germany)

Savoy Moulage S.A. (France)

Eurocarbon B.V. (The Netherlands)

Promolding B.V. (The Netherlands)

Sulzer Innotec AG (Switzerland

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1�

four minutes“. In this, albeit highly specialised area – the

engineers’ dream of an ideal plastic material has come much

closer to reality. The further development and production

of smaller series is scheduled to be realised within the year

at StructoForm with a larger plant for components of length

exceeding one metre.

One Layer of Glass Makes

Implants Safer

In medicine, implants made from exogenous substances play

a helpful role in replacing or supporting diseased tissue. The

treatment of diseased bones or joints today has, for example,

“spare parts” with bio-active surfaces at its disposal, which

even instigate the surrounding tissue to interact closely with,

and grow around the foreign body. Titanium, aluminium or

vanadium alloys are used, sometimes coated with the mineral

hydroxyl apatite.

In the case of soft tissue, such as skin or the internal

organs, however, the situation was far less promising. The

contact between body cells and implant material is usually

far less harmonious such as in the case of long-term injection

ports for chemotherapy, catheters or ostomy wafers (anus

praetor). This often facilitates the entry of pathogens into the

organism, which in the case of the abdominal cavity can lead

to lethal infections. Rejection reactions between tissue and

implant are frequent.

MATERIALS

The INCOMED project funded by the EU under the 5th Frame-

work Programme aimed to end this unsatisfactory situation.

“The project was based on the idea of coating such implants

with materials that encourage cells to grow into the surface

material and thus to safely anchor it“, reports project leader

Dr Christoph Schultheiss, who for the duration of the Project

worked at the Institute for Pulsed Power and Microwave

Technology (IHM) at the Karlsruhe Research Centre (FZK). The

collaborative project, which involved five partners from four

European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, United King-

dom) used so-called “bioactive glasses“, which are highly spe-

cific glass mixtures, which – with the aid of an electron beam

process developed at the FZK – are applied as a thin film onto

the surface of plastics. The idea is based on US research results,

which some years ago had been found, describing the compo-

sition and characteristics of such bio-active glasses. Bio-active

INCOMED




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: FZ Karlsruhe (Germany)

Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium)

GB Implant-Technologie GmbH (Germany)

Biomatech S.A. (France)

Teer Coatings LTD (United Kingdom)

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20 MATERIALS

glasses are fundamentally different from conventional glass;

they are nowhere near as stable and are very brittle.

Up to now, they have to be applied to the desired surface

in an elaborate procedure (e.g. by immersion in liquid gas)

and the required mixture of the three glass components (cal-

cium, silicon and sodium oxides doped with potassium and

phosphorus ions) must be strictly observed.

The researchers found out that after coating, the objects

must receive a secondary multi-stage treatment involving

distilled water in order to reduce their extremely hygroscopic

characteristics. This would be toxic for cells in the direct

vicinity of the coated surfaces and kill them. However, initial

animal tests showed that implants that had received such

secondary treatment safely and permanently connate with

surrounding tissue without any signs of serious inflammation

or rejection.

In the meantime, the project has patented the specific

glass mixture, the coating process and the subsequent treat-

ment processes. “Our development is thus ready to be taken

up by the European medical engineering industry and to be

further developed to be ready for approval by the responsible

medical authorities“, says Schultheiss. The extensive testing

and authorisation processes required by law have yet to be

completed, however.

Super Steel for Europe’s

Oil Pipelines

Steel pipelines are used to transport oil or gas across conti-

nents and oceans, i.e. they form the backbone of a reliable

energy supply.

To this end, the pipes as such need to be reliable: they

must withstand the enormous demands to which they are

exposed to, not only from the outside by mechanical impacts

from the environment, but also from the inside from the

highly corrosive materials that are transported. The JOTSUP

project (Development of Advanced JOining Technologies

for SUPermartensitic Stainless Steel Line Pipes), which was

funded by the 5th EU Framework Programme significantly

developed European know how in this field.

from either type of metal sheet will have optimal characteris-

tics even around the welding joints. Because, stresses Koçak,

“the welding joint must be just as good as the pipe material

itself”.

The project’s third objective was the development of vari-

ous welding technologies to optimise the joining of individual

pipes, both along the “longitudinal seam“, which seals each

pipe, and the vertical seam between two pipes. To this end,

various laser and electron beams as well as laser-welding proc-

esses were modified accordingly. These processes should be

usable even “on site“, i.e. when assembling pipelines. Fourthly,

the project carried out systematic investigations regarding the

reliability of such pipelines, whereby the focus was placed espe-

cially on corrodibility, deformation and breaking strength.

“This was only possible because we were able to bring

together major players – indeed the key players – from the

sectors involved: materials research, welding technology,

steel production and energy supply“, reports the Project

Leader, Dr Mustafa Koçak from GKSS Research Centre in

Geesthacht. “In this way it was made sure that the project

results would be recognised throughout Europe and applied

by the industry”.

The project had four objectives. Firstly, new stainless steel

alloys were to be developed and to be made available in two

different sheet thicknesses (7 and 20 millimetres) based upon

stainless steel containing 13 per cent chromium (a so-called

super-martensitic steel). Secondly, corresponding welding

materials were to be developed to ensure that pipes made

Steel as the material of ocean floor oil or gas pipelines must be

particularly corrosive-resistant – the material used for welding

joints must not be weak either.

21

from either type of metal sheet will have optimal characteris-

tics even around the welding joints. Because, stresses Koçak,

“the welding joint must be just as good as the pipe material

itself”.

The project’s third objective was the development of vari-

ous welding technologies to optimise the joining of individual

pipes, both along the “longitudinal seam“, which seals each

pipe, and the vertical seam between two pipes. To this end,

various laser and electron beams as well as laser-welding proc-

esses were modified accordingly. These processes should be

usable even “on site“, i.e. when assembling pipelines. Fourthly,

the project carried out systematic investigations regarding the

reliability of such pipelines, whereby the focus was placed espe-

cially on corrodibility, deformation and breaking strength.

“This was only possible because we were able to bring

together major players – indeed the key players – from the

sectors involved: materials research, welding technology,

steel production and energy supply“, reports the Project

Leader, Dr Mustafa Koçak from GKSS Research Centre in

Geesthacht. “In this way it was made sure that the project

results would be recognised throughout Europe and applied

by the industry”.

The project had four objectives. Firstly, new stainless steel

alloys were to be developed and to be made available in two

different sheet thicknesses (7 and 20 millimetres) based upon

stainless steel containing 13 per cent chromium (a so-called

super-martensitic steel). Secondly, corresponding welding

materials were to be developed to ensure that pipes made

MATERIALS

The new technologies mainly target applications in the field

of offshore oil production. The pipelines laid on the ocean

floor are not only subjected to enormous mechanical stresses,

but also transport a highly aggressive mixture of gas and oil.

Until now, Japanese producers had been leading in this

sector; however, they mainly produced longitudinal unweld-

ed pipes, with only a rather limited diameter. The JOTSUP

project has not only enabled European companies to catch

up, but has even given them a technological edge because

now both pipe and welding materials as well as the required

technologies are available to allow for the production of

much thicker (longitudinally welded) pipes. All tests have

shown that the anti-corrosive characteristics and the fracture

toughness of the steels and welding joints are absolutely com-

petitive.

“The fact that all partners involved in the project have

cooperated so harmoniously was the foundation of its suc-

cess“, reports Mustafa Koçak. “This gives the project’s results

the necessary weight to be accepted and implemented by the

end-users in European energy companies.“

JOTSUP




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: GKSS – Forschungszentrum Geesthacht

GMBH (Germany)

Belgisch Instituut voor Lastechniek (Belgium)

Fabrique de Fer – Charleroi SA (Belgium)

Bremer Institut für Angewandte Strahltechnik GmbH

(Germany)

Erndtebrücker Eisenwerk GmbH & Co.

(Germany)

H. Butting GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)

PTR Präzisionstechnik GmbH (Germany)

ThyssenKrupp Nirosta GmbH (Germany)

Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at the

Norwegian Institute of Technology (Norway)

ESAB AB (Sweden)

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Steel as the material of ocean floor oil or gas pipelines must be

particularly corrosive-resistant – the material used for welding

joints must not be weak either.

22

When Foams Improve

Crash Behaviour

For a long time now, passive safety has been playing a major

role in automotive construction as well as in other transport

areas and has made a significant contribution to continuously

reducing the number of traffic fatalities, especially on the

roads. At the same time, however, light-weight construction

is also on the passenger car engineers’ agenda. How can both

be combined?

Many ideas developed in research could make a contri-

bution here if only they found their way from the labs and

research departments into the production lines of the auto-

mobile manufacturers. The LISA collaborative project (Light-

weight Structural Applications Based on Metallic and Organic

Foams), which was funded under the 5th EU Research Frame-

work Programme, had the objective of making new techno-

logical applications in the area of the so-called “metal foams”

usable for serial production in the transportation industry.

Metal foams are produced by mixing a metal powder, usu-

ally aluminium, and a propellant such as titanium dihydride,

and then compacting this mixture by either hot or extruding

machine presses to a precursor material. The precursor is then

heated to a temperature above the metal’s melting point dur-

ing which the titanium dihydride releases hydrogen gas and

foams the liquid metal. The final material is solid, but porous

and looks like a sponge. Organic foams on the other hand, are

made from processed polymers. Although the characteristics

and the production of such foams has been well-researched,

they initially were hardly used in every-day industrial produc-

tion. LISA has created the necessary pre-conditions for this.

A total of eleven partners joined forces for this project,

including research institutions as well as material produc-

ers and end-users from the transport industry. The project

was headed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufactur-

ing Technology and Applied Materials Research (IFAM) in

Bremen. “Our objective was on the one hand to develop

components for transport vehicles filled with such foams

in order to improve their crash behaviour, i.e. their rigidity

and strength“, reports project leader Dr Gerald Rausch of

IFAM.

MATERIALS

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By using “rapid tooling” tools, the foam insert of any component

is produced rapidly and according to requirementrs.

LISA




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: Fraunhofer-Institut für Fertigungstechnik

und Angewandte Materialforschung IFAM (Germany)

BMW AG (Germany)

Brandenburgische Technische Universtität Cottbus

(Germany)

Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen GmbH (Germany)

Henkel Teroson GMBH (Germany)

International Technology & Products – ITP GmbH

(Germany)

M.I.M. Hüttenwerke Duisburg GmbH (Germany)

EADS GIE (France)

Bombardier Transportation LTD (United Kingdom)

Centro Ricerche Fiat S.C.P.A. (Italy)

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

(Norway)

2�

On the other hand, new foam materials and production tech-

nologies should be developed, which are tailor-made for the

requirements of transport engineering.”

In addition, the project has also developed a new production

process for the moulding forms in which the foam “cores” are

produced. Here, modern tool production technologies called

“rapid tooling” are employed, which allow for a particularly fast

and precise production of prototypes and production tools.

Thus, for example, in cooperation with industry the

project has developed a shock-absorbing front section for

train locomotives, a protective antenna case for Airbus planes

as well as a variety of applications for passenger car bodies.

The objective of the latter was e.g. to optimise the crash

behaviour of passenger car bodies by filling sections of the A-

pillar with an inner core made from metallic foam. This (front)

roof pillar of a limousine is frequently made from complexly

formed metal profiles which are welded together. Accord-

ingly, it was necessary to develop a production process for the

foamed metal cores, which made it possible to perfectly fill

the complex cavities of the profiles. Such a measure, which

is to be put into practice in future vehicle generations, has

improved the strength of the pillar by approximately 30 per

cent, yet increased the component’s weight by only three per

cent.

MATERIALS

If metal foams form the core of a component, its strength increases dramatically – a characteristic which may safe lives.

24

Hans-Richard Tradt, KUKA Schweissanlagen GmbH, Augsburg:

“With the software developed in the EU project it is possible to flexibly coordinate the

numerous suppliers required during the complex planning and construction stages of a

new factory.“

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

2�

New Production TechnologiesThe change from a resource-intensive to a sustainable knowledge-based industrial society, which is the objective of the

7th Research Framework Programme, can only succeed if new knowledge from all fields of research is continuously concent-

rated in new production technologies and intelligently combined in new types of factory structures.

Electronic Network for the Virtual Factory


Once a new product line such as a new passenger car series

or a facelift has passed a company’s development and design

department and the course has been set for serial production,

a process is already under way that is decisive for the product’s

success: complex production plants and production lines are

in planning or have already been partially built. There is also

a network of suppliers and contractors and a specific delivery

date is set by which the new models should for the first time

roll off the production line and be delivered to the customer.

An enormous planning and coordination effort is behind such

a work-intensive approach.

Today’s trend in designing new production lines is that of

a “virtual factory“. As many tasks as possible – both during the

planning and during the construction stage as well as during

the plant’s operating life – should be processed electronically.

This means, for example, that all partners involved in the

planning and development of such a production facility are

connected online and are able to communicate effectively. A

corresponding electronic platform has been developed by the

VIDOP (Vendor Integrated Decentralised Optimisation of Pro-

duction Facilities) research project. Eleven partners from four

European countries were involved in this project, including

industrial companies, research institutes, and technology and

management companies.

The project faced a particular challenge: “How is it pos-

sible to work as long as possible with the flexibility to make

changes and, then to react quickly and easily to changes and

modifications which occur during planning and execution

– that was one of our questions“, reports Project Co-ordinator

Hans-Richard Tradt, who works for KUKA Schweissanlagen

GmbH in Augsburg. At the same time it had to be made sure

that all those involved in the partner network notice changes

quickly and take them into consideration.

The project developed an electronic platform which on

the one hand allows for the safe and effective Internet-based

exchange of all types of data sets between the involved part-

ners. This software furthermore allows data to be selected

and sorted: for example, a particular supplier receives only

that information which he specifically requires. “Such a joint

platform makes co-operation much more transparent and

enables us to work more quickly and efficiently“, so Tradt’s

conclusion. In particular, this represents an improvement for

the general contractor of such a project, where all the threads

converge and who is in charge of monitoring the planning

process and implementation. “As a result of the permanently

updated and documented changes, it is possible to follow up

in due time, if, for example, a supplier is not working accu-

rately“, explains Hans-Richard Tradt, “thus reducing the error

ratio and increasing transparency“.

The project produced a software package called

KoraLogik®, which ensures that data are complete and com-

prehensible, i.e. that they can be exchanged in such a way that

they can be used by any recipient.

The participating partners integrated this software

into their IT infrastructure, thus connecting to an Intranet

through which all necessary information and data flow. The

software has a user-friendly interface and can be used without

any problems once users have received normal training.

2�

The VIDOP project developed this system based on examples

of specific tasks, such as the planning and setting up of a

model change in a car-body production line for an automo-

bile producer. Both the automobile producer and the plant

manufacturer are involved in planning (in this particular

case, KUKA Schweißanlagen GmbH). Behind them exists a

whole chain of suppliers, who contribute the various indi-

vidual components, such as feeding components (e.g. the

“assembly line“), tension elements, electronic components

or software modules. Innumerable different data formats

need to be exchanged between the contracting organisa-

tion and all supplying partners (which in today’s globalised

economy are often geographically far removed from each

other): specifications, simulations and CAD data, technical

descriptions and much, much more. Only the complete data

fully and accurately define the joint project, regardless if this

is a new or modified production unit or a complete produc-

tion facility.

The design and preliminary planning of a new factory or production line in a virtual factory facilitate the construction of future

production facilities.


27PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

With the aid of KoraLogik software, the complex and recip-

rocal communication and delivery relationships between

the involved companies can be processed effectively and

comprehensibly. The system runs independently from the

partners’ internal software based on a structure co-ordinated

with project requirements; data need to be uploaded from

this platform onto the partners’ systems and may have to be

“translated” from one electronic programming language into

another. The system can be pretty much thought of as a com-

plex E-Mail programme: the partners receive relevant data

and information, are able to extract and to incorporate them

into their own systems and then to further process them. Inci-

dentally, the system ensures that only authorised bodies can

access specific data; corresponding safety systems have been

built into the software.

According to Tradt, “even though the VIDOP project has

been completed by now, the system is currently still being

further developed.” The participating partners have already

incorporated parts of the results in their current applications,

for example in corresponding software packages.

VIDOP




Project Partners:

Coordinator: Kuka Schweißanlagen GmbH

(Germany)

DaimlerChrysler AG (Germany)

Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd (Israel)

Universität Karlsruhe (Germany)

Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd (Israel)

Imtech ICT Information Technology B.V.

(The Netherlands)

Technology Management Contract Centre B.V.

(The Netherlands)

Universidade do Porto (Portugal)

Ingemat S.A. (Spain)

Robotiker (Spain)

Methodos SPA (Italia)

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The close networking of all suppliers continually poses a

challenge for smooth serial production.

2�

Optimal Communication Between Planning

and Production

Each work piece produced today by a machine tool has its

origins in a computer: so-called CAD (computer-aided design)

programmes assist with their design. In the course of addi-

tional process stages, this virtual design generates a math-

ematic (numerical) instruction, which in turn provides the

machine tool with precise information about how to drill, mill

or turn the work piece in order to realise the form planned on

the computer. Such a computerised numerical control (CNC)

allows for the automated production of work pieces – includ-

ing complex structures – with a high degree of repeat accu-

racy. Since the introduction of CNC, ISO 6983 has served as

the standardised language for control commands. However,

this data format dates to the early days of CNC and whereas

it was sufficient for relatively simple datasets, it has been

lagging behind the rapid progress in the area of production

design for some time now and is showing a number of seri-

ous limitations. For example, the data need to be repeatedly

“translated” along their way from the design stage to the work

piece; it is furthermore not possible to return information

from production back into planning. This out-dated data for-

mat is therefore today both a one-way street and a bottleneck,

impeding and delaying the flow of information between

planning and production departments, and also between dif-

ferent parts of a company.

The alternative is called STEP-NC, a data format which

allows comprehensive geometric and technological infor-

mation regarding the work piece to be used as direct input

for the machine control (CNC), making any data conversion

largely superfluous. Indeed, all elements of the process chain

work with the same data format. In addition, STEP-NC also

makes it possible to set up data loops, i.e. it enables a bi-direc-

tional flow of information. This format also provides a much

higher density of information, allowing even demanding

applications to be optimally realised.

The new data format was developed as part of an EU

research project, which involved partners from Germany,

Sweden, France, and Italy. In addition, companies from Swit-

zerland, the United States as well as Korea (in each case with

national funding) were involved in an international part

of the programme (IMS STEP-NC). The project consortium

included companies in the area of CAD, CAM (computer-aided

manufacturing) and CNC, machine tool makers and industrial

users (e.g. from the automobile and aircraft industries) as well

as research institutions.

“The objective of this project was to standardise com-

munication within the process chain between CAD design

and the NC-controlled production machine, to make it more

transparent and to ensure that data can flow in any direc-

tion“, so the summary provided by Project Leader Peter Müller

(Siemens AG). In the meantime, STEP-NC not only exists as a

general format, but also in the form of separate modules for

various areas in the field of production technology, such as for

turning, drilling and milling machines or for further process-

ing technologies and also for a wide range of materials.

The respective modules were applied and tested by the

project partners as part of the project. It was shown that this

new interface can enable cost reductions of up to 30 per cent.

It is expected that the STEP-NC data format will initially be

applied widely in industrial production in new factories, as its

implementation requires considerable effort in restructuring

existing operative processes; and, for example, re-certifica-

tion of a restructured process will subsequently be necessary.


A new data format allows the direct use of CAD data from the design department …

2�

Methodological Recipes for a

Modular Factory

Today, products enter the market in ever faster cycles. At the

same time, the wide variety of consumer demands requires

an ever increasing number of different variants. This poses

enormous challenges to manufacturers, as operationally, the

so-called “economies of scale” are lost. These are quantity

effects based on the fact that it is cheaper to produce the larg-

est possible number of the same type of product. As a result of

the changed conditions, however, today production facilities

that had been developed for a single product generation now

need to amortise over a much shorter period of time. Since

the technically useful life of plants has, if anything, increased,

it must be made sure that investments can be re-financed

over several product generations. In short: the earlier strict

coupling of production (operating resources) and products no

longer exists.

To solve the problems caused by this, it was initially attempt-

ed to design production plants with greater flexibility. This,

however, lead to disproportionately high additional costs,

as it is not possible to determine with sufficient accuracy the

degree of flexibility that is indeed required. The quality of the

necessary forecasts is limited, especially by market fluctua-

tions, for example such as in the demand for a certain type

of product. This issue poses a particular problem for manu-

facturers that have opted for serial production with a high

degree of mechanisation or even automation because of the

economies of scale. This is the case, for example, with many

suppliers in the automobile industry, who must be able to

react as flexibly as possible to frequently changing product

and capacity requirements of their various clients (the auto-

mobile producers).


… to control an NC machine in production.

IMS-STEP-NC




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: Siemens AG (Germany)

CECIMO, the European Committee for Co-operation

of the Machine Tool Industries

DaimlerChrysler AG (Germany)

OPEN MIND Technologies AG (Germany)

■

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■

RWTH Aachen (Germany)

Universität Stuttgart (Germany)

Dassault Systèmes S.A. (France)

CMS S.p.A (Italy)

OSAI Spa (Italy)

AB Volvo (Sweden)

AGIE SA (Switzerland)

AMT-Consulting (Switzerland)

CADCAMation SA (Switzerland)

Engineering School of Geneva (Switzerland)

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne

(Switzerland)

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�0

The first approaches to the solution were made in product

development where the strategy of using the same type of

components for as many product applications as possible was

developed. In addition, product design was changed in such a

way that the ultimate differentiated product was created only

in the final stage of production, thus making it possible to

realise the desired quantity effect in the downstream process

stages in spite of the high degree of “individuality” of the final

product. The best-known example is the so-called “platform

strategy” applied by automobile producers: a standardised

unfinished base platform is used for a variety of vehicle types.

Based on the success of this strategy in product design,

this logic was transferred to production design.

In the concept thus developed, all structural components

of a production plant that are affected and impacted by pos-

sible changes in product design or volume fluctuations and

bundled and combined in modules. Components, however,

with a function which is not affected by possible changes are

designed as unchangeable platforms. Such a production plant

can be rapidly adjusted to changed product requirements

by replacing or adding individual modules as required. In

other words, the modules are adapted to the short life cycles

of individual product generations, whereas the machine plat-

form (such as the basic framework or encasement) remains

unchanged throughout several product cycles.

The success of such a modularisation to a large extent

depends, however, on how “intelligent” the planning of the

modular designs is. “The more methodical the approach to

design is and the earlier an estimate of the cost-benefit ratio

becomes possible, the more successful the resulting plant will

work“, explains Felix Lösch from the leading project institute,

the Laboratory of Machine Tools and Production Engineering

(WZL) of RWTH Aachen. The Head of the group “Plant Plan-

ning “ is involved in the EU-funded

“Modular Plant Architecture” (MPA) project, which

developed such a “method to design modular factories”.

Together with 14 partners from eight countries, a method was

conceived which enables companies to effectively exploit the

large potential of modular architecture to the greatest extent

possible at all four hierarchical levels of a factory – plant

buildings, production segments, production lines and work

stations – and to realistically assess the result.

At the same time, this method was successfully applied

on each of these levels in a series of pilot projects, where it

emerged that the required capital expenditure could be

reduced by between 25 and 35 per cent and planning time by

about 20 per cent.


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When product cycles become shorter and at the same time

the life times of production plants are getting longer, factories

need to be converted more frequently. In a modular factory,

the associated costs stay manageable, as the modular feeder

system (on theright) shows.

MPA




Project Partners:

Co-ordinator: RWTH Aachen (Germany)

Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium)

Picanlol N.V. (Belgium)

Aachener Demonstrationslabor für Integrierte

Production Engineering GGMBH (Germany)

Becker GMBH (Germany)

GIP Gewerbe- und Industriepartner GBR

(Germany)

Robert Bosch GMBH (Germany)

Behr Lorraine Sarl (France)

Nantional Research Council (Italy)

Technology Transfer System S.R.L. (Italy)

S.C. Wittmann & Partner Computer Systems S.R.L.

(Romania)

Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungary)

Certicon A.S. (Czech Republic)

�1

At work station level, for example, a modular supply system

was developed in cooperation with an automobile supplier,

Bosch Rexroth AG as well as with the central Preliminary

Development Department of Bosch GmbH. This system solves

any problems that occur when bulk material components

are to be specifically fed to a fully automated assembly line.

Previously, the “oscillating conveyors” used for feeding the

bulk material were the “problem children” of assembly plants:

as their surface is specifically matched with the component

to be fed, conveyers needed to be changed once a machine

changed from one component type to another. This meant

that a separate oscillating conveyor had to be ready for each

type of parts to be fed. This is an expensive process, as assem-

bly lines need to be designed sufficiently long in order to pro-

vide space for all the conveyors required and it also takes time,

as the machine is idle during the change-over.

The system developed based on the new method consists

of a platform – an assembly cell with materials-handling

technology – and two modules: a feeding system consisting

of a singling device, where all necessary components are fed

from a storage hopper and separated, and a handling module

which consists of a combination of a multi-axial robot-arm fit-

ted with camera system. With the aid of this combination, the

position of each separate part fed to the system is determined,

after which they are picked up and correctly installed in the

product. In order to arrive at this type of modularisation, vari-

ous product tasks were analysed and the impact of changes

such as the shape and weight of the individual parts was

identified. With the help of appropriate analytical methods it

was determined which individual components were similarly

affected by changes and which components are required to

meet combinable functions. By considering these categories it

was then possible to identify similar components of the feeder

systems in both the modules, with the base plate and connec-

tions forming the unchangeable platform.

Thus a design comprised of three different types of feeder

modules and four separate handling modules was created.

Together, they can form twelve different types of combina-

tions, allowing for the effective and efficient performance

of any bulk material feeding tasks occurring at Bosch. The

results of the use of this plant in a Bosch assembly line pro-

ducing automobile locking systems were so positive that the

method by now has been successfully implemented in various

transfer projects with other companies.


32 Service

How to Apply for Funding

Preparing an Application

The global topics of Theme 4 – “Nanosciences and Nanotech-

nologies, Materials and New Production Technologies”

(NMP) for the entire duration of FP7 (2007-2013) are summa-

rised on page 9 above. The specific topics of the calls within this

theme are set down in an annually updated work programme.

Ideally, the preparation of an application for funding should

commence several months prior to the publication of the calls.

Advance information on these calls may be obtained from the

National Contact Points (NCP) for Theme 4. The texts necessary

for a proposal application are available on the Internet site

■ http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm

after selecting the appropriate call identifier

(e.g. FP7-NMP-2007-SMALL-1).

These documents are:

■

■

■

■

“Call Fiche“ (which contains information about applica-

tion deadlines, budget, titles of call themes, as well as key

data for the evaluation of applications);

“Work Programme“ (which contains information about

the general objectives, funding instruments, detailed

explanations of the call themes, as well as a forecast of pos-

sible future themes);

Guide for Applicants“ (which contains various information

including instructions regarding the lay-out and content

of funding applications, explanations regarding the sub-

mission of applications, the evaluation procedure, as well

as advisory and support structures).

In addition, the BMBF brochure “Antragstellung im 7. EU-

Forschungsrahmenprogramm” (Submission of Applica-

tions under the 7th EU Research Framework Programme)

contains important information concerning the applica-

tion process (available at

www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de).

When conceiving a project, it is important that the project

idea meets the call’s criteria with regard to both content and

form. Only such applications will have the chance of receiving

funding. It is thus sensible to consult one of the National Con-

tact Points or a regional advice and support centre regarding

the applicability of a project idea to a specific call. This may be

done in the form of an initial outline of a project idea which

will be commented on by the centre consulted.

Consortium Applicants

A major prerequisite for a promising project proposal is get-

ting together a suitable project consortium and designating

a project co-ordinator. The consortium should usually have

at least three partners from three different EU countries.

The document “Regulation Laying Down the Rules for the

Participation to FP7 EC” describes the corresponding frame-

work conditions. It is also available at the above Internet

address. In general, when putting together a consortium,

care must be taken that the individual partners’ areas of

competence complement each other. Ideally, already exist-

ing contacts or co-operations are used when selecting part-

ners.

Additional project partners may be identified by using

■

■

■

■

the Internet platforms dedicated to finding project part-

ners and partnership offers in the area of material and

nanotechnology projects

(http://www.fz-juelich.de/ptj/Partner_Search/),

the EU Commission’s web-based CORDIS partner database

(http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/partners_en.html),

the CORDIS database of successful projects and project

partners (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp6/projects.htm), or

the National Contact Points in European and non-Euro-

pean countries

(http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/get-support_en.html).

Submission and Evaluation of Applications

Under FP7, most collaborative Theme 4 proposals are evaluat-

ed in a two-stage procedure. In Stage 1, the project co-ordina-

tor submits a project proposal not exceeding 10 pages to the

Commission by using a web-based application system (EPSS).

The evaluation of a Stage 1 proposal by independent experts

focuses primarily on its scientific or technological merit and

the potential use of its results for the European economy.

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm

http://www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de

http://www.fz-juelich.de/ptj/Partner_Search/

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/partners_en.html

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp6/projects.htm

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/get-support_en.html

33Service

If this abbreviated proposal passes the evaluation criteria of

the first stage, successful applicants will be requested to par-

ticipate in Stage 2 and hence submit their full proposal, which

will also be evaluated with regard to the project consortium’s

efficiency in executing the proposed project. After success-

ful evaluation, the EU Commission and the consortium of

applicants negotiate an agreement regarding the work to be

performed and the level of funding.

Criteria for a Promising Proposal

As in addition to scientific and technological merit,

form, structure as well as linguistic aspects may affect

the evaluation by experts, the latter should under no

circumstances be neglected. The “Guide for Applicants”

contains information about a “template” for an application,

including structure or length of individual chapters.

Structuring and layout of a proposal provide the applicant

with an opportunity to facilitate review by experts and

hence to create a positive impression. For example, short

paragraphs, lists, bolded or italicised key words, illustrative

diagrams and/or tables should be used and particularly

verbose explanations should be avoided. No proposal will

be rejected because of linguistic deficiencies, but a flawless

presentation will make it easier for experts to review an

application and assists in avoiding misunderstandings.

Accurate and easy to understand English is here of special

importance, as well as clear and precise wording, the

avoidance of redundancies as well as an effective and self-

explanatory title.

Trends and Future Themes

As an instrument of the EU Commission, the European tech-

nology platforms provide opportunities for stakeholders from

a wide range of research areas and industries (companies,

research institutions, and universities) to actively participate

in the discussion about application-oriented topical objec-

tives of research funding. The extraordinary relevance of

theme 4, “Nanosciences and nanotechnologies, materials,

and new production technologies” as key technologies for

the competitiveness of the European economy is shown e.g.

in the strategic research agendas, implementation plans

and/or road maps of the various technology platforms. These

visionary papers with their research references oriented on

specific application objectives provide major contributions to

the design of calls under the 7th Research Framework Program

and the national research programmes.

Examples for technology platforms relevant for theme 4 are

e.g.:

■ Nanotechnology for medical applications – NanoMedicine –

http://cordis.europa.eu/nanotechnology/nanomedicine.htm

■ Nano-electronics – ENIAC –

http://cordis.europa.eu/ist/eniac/home.html/

■ Material production – EuMaT – http://www.eumat.org/

■ Sustainable chemistry – SusChem –

http://www.suschem.org/

■ Future production technologies – MANUFUTURE –

http://www.manufuture.org/

■ Platform for steel production – ESTEP –

http://cordis.europa.eu/estep/

An overview of European technology platforms is available at:

http://cordis.europa.eu/technologyplatforms/individual_en.html

Within FP7, most collaborative Theme 4 proposals are evaluated in a two-stage procedure.

http://cordis.europa.eu/nanotechnology/nanomedicine.htm

http://cordis.europa.eu/ist/eniac/home.html

http://www.eumat.org/

http://www.suschem.org/

http://www.manufuture.org/

http://cordis.europa.eu/estep/

http://cordis.europa.eu/technology-platforms/individual_en.html

�4

From an Idea to a

Successful Project During its seven-year term, the European Union’s 7th

Research Framework Programme (FP7) with its total avail-

able funds of Euro 54 billion will play an ever-increasing role

for German companies, universities and research institu-

tions. The interdisciplinary character of many projects pro-

vides participants with new opportunities for co-operation

and expands their range of activities. In many cases, new

levels of activity and industries are opened up and co-opera-

tion with foreign partners frequently leads to entering new

markets.

“Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Pro-

duction Technologies” is funded in Theme 4 of the specific

programme “Co-operation”.

To support funding applicants, Germany has set up a net-

work of so-called “National Contact Points” (NCP), which

are funded by the various Federal Ministries, with each NCP

being responsible for advising applicants about a specific

part of FP7. The NCPs provide information (via newsletters

and Internet sites) about the contents of their areas and are

capable of interpreting the European Commission’s texts as

a result of their many years of experience in this sector. They

alert about calls and deadlines, hold information events and,

as the case may be, also assist in finding project partners.

A major strength of the NCPs is the extensive advice they

give to project applicants – from the initial project idea all

the way to contract negotiations. Since in many cases they

have accumulated many years of experience in giving fund-

ing advice, they are able to give important and sometimes

decisive hints on how to optimise funding applications.

Information points

NCP Nanotechnologies

VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH

Graf-Recke-Str. 84

40239 Düsseldorf

Telephone: +49 (0)211 6214-433

Telefax: +49 (0)211 6214-484

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.vditz.de/nks

Dr Karin Wey

NCP Materials

Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

PTJ-NMT

52425 Jülich

Telephone: +49 (0)2461 61-3545

Telefax: +49 (0)2461 61-2398


Internet: www.nks-werkstoffe.de

Dr Gerd Schumacher

NCP Production Technologies

Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH

PTKA-PFT

Postfach 3640

76021 Karlsruhe

Telephone: +49 (0)7247 82-6469

Telefax: +49 (0)7247 82-2891


Internet: www.fzk.de/pft/ncp

Dr Helmut Rempp

SERvICE


http://www.vditz.de/nks


http://www.nks-werkstoffe.de


http://www.fzk.de/pft/ncp

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