Press releases

In the food processing industry, closed production systems are cleaned according to strictly defined specifications – and often applying unnecessarily large quantities of chemicals. A fiber-optical fluorescence sensor developed at Fraunhofer IPM measures deposits in closed containers in a minimally invasive manner, thus enabling cleaning processes to be controlled and adapted to the actual degree of fouling.

Industrial production processes can only be optimized if components can be tracked and traced from production to the point of integration into an assembly. Through the “ProIQ” project, Fraunhofer IPM has joined forces with partners from the fields of industry and research to develop technologies for adaptive production of precision components. To this end, the Track & Trace Fingerprint method has been extended with a view to tracking and tracing rotationally symmetrical objects.

Defects often occur in the production of electrode foils for lithium-ion batteries due to nonhomogeneous coatings. Fraunhofer IPM and Fraunhofer ISIT, together with partners from the fields of industry and research, have developed an optical inline measurement system that determines the material composition of electrode foils quantitatively and with depth resolution – directly in the production line. The goal here is to manufacture electrodes for Li-ion batteries more cost-effectively and with a higher level of quality.

Measurement technology is indispensible to the use of hydrogen as an energy source. Sensors that reliably detect leaks in storage tanks, pipelines and supply points are needed to ensure that hydrogen infrastructure is operated safely. Fraunhofer IPM has been working with partners from science and industry for exactly one year on the TransHyDE joint project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which aims to develop new sensor designs that can ensure the safety of hydrogen technology, enable hydrogen purity measurements and determine H2 content in natural gas grids.

Fluorescence measurement technology has so far been used almost exclusively for qualitative analyses. Now, for the first time, a team of researchers at Fraunhofer IPM is successfully using the method to obtain quantitative measurements with a high local resolution, and is receiving the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize in recognition of this achievement.

In car body manufacturing, it is far more difficult to process aluminum blanks than their steel counterparts. One key parameter determining the quality of metal forming is the thickness of the lubrication layer on the blank surface. The F-Scanner fluorescence measurement system is the only device capable of performing spatially resolved measurements of this layer thickness during production. Four F-Scanners have now been delivered to a US automobile manufacturer where they will be used to ensure the quality of car body parts.

Dams are amongst the most closely monitored structures in Germany. However, traditional methods for surveying the basin of a reservoir are very time-consuming and produce comparatively imprecise data. On behalf of the Weiden Water Management Authority, GeoGroup GmbH and Fraunhofer IPM have now conducted a survey of 100 percent of the Liebensteinspeicher reservoir in Germany’s Upper Palatinate region. The resulting high-precision 3D data provides insights into the reservoir volume, the water table area and the depth of the lake.

Quantum mechanically entangled light particles break down the boundaries of conventional optics and allow a glimpse into previously invisible wavelength ranges, thus bringing about new possibilities for imaging techniques, microscopy and spectroscopy. Unearthing these possibilities and creating technological solutions was the goal of the Fraunhofer lighthouse project QUILT. Fraunhofer IPM contributed to the success of the project by a world first, the »Quantum FTIR«, which is the quantum optical equivalent to the classical Fourier transform spectrometer.

At the moment, industry is lacking in robust sensors that can withstand extremely high temperatures and pressures. Eight Fraunhofer Institutes have now developed a technology platform for building this type of sensor systems as part of the “eHarsh” lighthouse project. These are even capable of monitoring the insides of turbines and deep boreholes for geothermal systems.

With an innovative concept for heat transfer, researchers at Fraunhofer IPM together with industrial partners have been able to significantly increase the efficiency of magnetocaloric cooling systems. As part of a follow-up project, the team plans to apply this new technology to a refrigerator for medical products and further develop the technology to work towards marketability.