Press releases

When it comes to the key raw material lithium, Germany almost exclusively relies on imports, even though the light metal is contained in geothermal brine. The departments of Geochemistry & Economic Geology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT are working on a method to extract lithium as a by-product of geothermal energy production. As part of the LiMo research project, Fraunhofer IPM is developing an optical sensor intended to make the extraction process more efficient.

Quantum computing and neuromorphic computing are expected to take on computationally intensive tasks in the future. However, the step up from lab to real-world application for this next generation computing is yet to be realized, which is why the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) has joined forces with the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM in order to harness its expertise in the field of photonics.

The topography of bodies of water can be measured from the air using laser scanners. Laser bathymetry brings a number of advantages compared with using an echo sounder or other optical methods. As part of the ACQUA-3D research project, a team at Fraunhofer IPM is cooperating with the University of Stuttgart and application partners EOMAP GmbH and Geo Group GmbH to develop a particularly small and lightweight bathymetric measurement system for use on UAVs, for the particular application of measuring shallow bodies of water.

Constructing or planning complex urban environments requires a solid data basis. But the available planning data is often obsolete and incomplete. This is why Fraunhofer IPM and incontext.technology GmbH have joined forces to develop a process for creating a digital twin of urban environments quickly and with deep granularity. The idea behind the MuSiS research project is that measurement systems installed on taxis, busses and streetcars record their environment while the vehicles drive along their usual route, constantly collecting up-to-date data.

To improve industrial production processes, it is important to be able to assign production data to individual components. The Track & Trace Fingerprint technology developed by Fraunhofer IPM makes it possible to trace components without marking. The concept also proves to be extremely reliable in production environments, as has now been demonstrated in a pilot production facility at research partner Bosch.

Across the EU, more than 300 billion items of packaging are not recycled every year because they consist of a mixture of different materials. Monomaterial packaging on the other hand is easy to recycle. However, it needs to be coated with ultra-thin barrier layers to protect delicate products just as well as compound materials do. Fraunhofer IPM is developing an optical measurement system enabling the inline quality control of these barrier layers.

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.