Aachen/Germany April 18, 2019

On April 11th, 2019, the 9 Partner Institutes of the AZL opened the doors of their machinery halls and research labs to provide an extensive and on-site insight into the research and development capaci-ties in the field of lightweight production and composites at the RWTH Aachen Campus. As a special highlight of this year, the AZL presented the “iComposite 4.0” self-optimizing process chain: fiber-spraying – dry fiber placement – adaptive RTM as well as AZL´s new prototype machine development “Ultra-Fast Consolidator Machine” for highly productive and flexible processing of thermoplastic tapes with in-situ consolidation (winner of the JEC World Innovation Award 2019).

More than 100 Participants from external companies as well as from the AZL Network had the possibility to experience updates on the latest lightweight production technologies and equipment, get to know the bene-fital infrastructure on the Campus and network with internationally represented companies of the entire light-weight value chain researches by taking part in five guided tours to the lightweight institutes.

The AZL brought together content in the field of textiles (ITA), plastics and composite materials (IKV), pro-duction technology (WZL, IPT, ILT, and ISF), quality assurance and production-integrated measurement technology (WZL), lightweight design (SLA), automotive production (IKA) as well as multi-material systems and process integration (AZL).

Once a year at the Open Day, the AZL offers an exclusive and widespread unique insight into the R&D capacities of the institutes in the field of lightweight and composite technologies on the campus of RWTH Aachen University. Within walking distance, researchers and students from 9 institutes are working on the latest technologies for the cost-efficient development and production of lightweight components within one of the largest research landscapes in Europe. The research, closely involving industrial companies, covers the entire value chain from fiber production, materials and processing technology to quality assurance and com-ponent testing.

About AZL:

RWTH Aachen University is one of the worldwide leading universities in the field of production technology. The Aachen Center for integrative Lightweight Production (AZL) of RWTH Aachen consolidates the light-weight expertise of eight partner institutes with 750 scientists on the RWTH Campus. Furthermore, in coop-eration with the AZL Aachen GmbH, the AZL institute has built up an international partner network between these institutes and more than 80 international companies form 21 different countries involved in lightweight production. For this, AZL consists of two separate entities: The AZL of RWTH Aachen University addresses the transformation of lightweight design in mass production with basic research and development of light-weight products, materials, production processes and systems with access to the latest full-scale machines and automation systems. As a service provider partnering with companies in the field of lightweight produc-tion technology, AZL Aachen GmbH provides industrial services in the areas of engineering, consultancy and project management, networking and business development. With the AZL Partnership, the AZL Aa-chen GmbH enables the close cooperation between the lightweight industry and the research institutes of RWTH Aachen Campus along the whole value chain. The AZL Partner Network consists of more than 80 industrial partners representing the entire lightweight production value chain from the raw material pro-ducer, over molders, manufacturing equipment suppliers, Tier 1 and Tier 2 to OEMs, from SMEs to large multinational corporations, from Germany to Mexico, China or Japan, from 21 different countries in total.

Press release from  The Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production (AZL)