Blog: Training at Fraunhofer IFAM

Contact restrictions, distance regulations and home office - we are all trying to implement the new circumstances brought about by the Corona crisis in the best possible way. For us too, this situation means: rethinking, remaining creative and finding new solutions! With a specially developed hygiene and room concept as well as various digital solutions, we ensure that our further training offers continue to be available to you in full and in the same quality. Prof. Dr. Andreas Groß, head of the department for further education and technology transfer at the Fraunhofer IFAM, will give an insight into current challenges and approaches to solutions.

Ten participants successfully completed the first blended learning course of the Bonding Technology Training Center at the Fraunhofer IFAM in fall 2019. The theoretical contents of the course to become a DVS®/ EWF bonding practitioner took place online for the most part. This online phase was supplemented by a three-day presence phase at the institute, during which the theoretical knowledge previously learned was put into practice. Dr. Effi Baumgarten is responsible for the blended learning offers in the Bonding Technology Training Center at the Fraunhofer IFAM and provides an insight into the new course concept.

They will take place for the first time from 11 - 12 November 2020: The Bremen Bonding Days. The new event format of the Fraunhofer IFAM shines with top-class lectures, an international audience and plenty of room for networking. Dr. Holger Fricke, head of the department of adhesive bonding production at Fraunhofer IFAM, explains in an interview why the Bremen Bonding Days were created, what the difference is to the German-speaking Bremer Klebtage and what highlights the participants can expect.

The energy turnaround is a major topic of the current time. There are many starting points for this, such as optimisation in mobility. After all, who hasn't heard of it: it takes 20 minutes by car to get to work, and an hour in public transport. So who chooses the more environmentally friendly option of public transport? Alstom has addressed this problem and, with the help of bonding technology, has developed a train construction that - compared to diesel vehicles - works with an alternative, environmentally friendly drive technology.

Fraunhofer IFAM and Dr. Gareth McGrath, Director at Flexible Manufacturing Solutions Ltd. have a long history together. Dr. McGrath has been working with Fraunhofer IFAM since 1991, particularly in the context of the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting e. V. (EWF).

Bonding technology has a long history - especially in the wood industry. At the Bremer Klebtage 2019 trade fair, Maik Schmolke from nolax explained how the bone glue of that time developed into fully automated high-performance processes and revolutionized the industry like a one-second adhesive. nolax invents and develops new adhesive technologies and thus opens up new markets for the adhesives industry. Maik Schmolke himself has completed the entire course program of the Fraunhofer IFAM in the field of bonding, from the bonding specialist to the adhesive bonding engineer and participation in the examination board. At nolax, he also conducts some projects in cooperation with the Fraunhofer IFAM to combine the know-how of practice and research.

Experts from research, associations and industry meet regularly at the Fraunhofer IFAM for two days at the Bremen Composite Days to inform themselves about news from the field of fiber composite technology, to cultivate old contacts and to make new ones. On the occasion of this year's Bremen Composite Days Dr. Elmar Witten, Managing Director of AVK - Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e. V. gave a lecture on "Current developments and trends in the composites market". We took the opportunity to ask him about the market situation for fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP), AVRP's association work and the importance of further training for the FRP sector. In an interview, he also dares to give an outlook on possible new areas of application for composites in the near future.

From classical mass production to innovative, individualized, high-quality products – that is now the vision of manufacturing industry in China. The key for realizing this goal is optimally trained employees to drive innovation within companies. Workforce training is hence in demand in China like never before. Since 2012 the Training Center for Adhesive Bonding Technology at Fraunhofer IFAM has worked closely with the Shanghai based Shanghai Yifa Bonding Training Center to offer its training courses in the Chinese marketplace.

The Fraunhofer IFAM is considered an expert in the field of manufacturing technology and applied materials research. As a knowledge mediator, it has been offering a wide range of courses in the field of further education for 25 years. It started with adhesive bonding technology and for some years now it has also been offering courses in the field of fiber composite technology. Stefan Simon is a research associate and lecturer at the Fraunhofer IFAM's Fiber Composites Training Center. In an interview, he explains to us which offers are available in this field and why participants always experience an aha moment in the course.

After a total of three course weeks, the first "Composite Specialist" training course, which was carried out in cooperation between the Training Center for Fiber Composite Technology at Fraunhofer IFAM and the YIFA New Materials Institute (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. was successfully completed. Due to the current pandemic situation, the theoretical course content was taught by instructors from Fraunhofer IFAM via video training. The practical units were carried out on site under the guidance of the cooperation partner's staff. This in turn was instructed in advance by means of a "train the trainer" course.