Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Florian Finsterwalder

Vita

1989–1995
Studied chemical engineering and chemistry (Diploma degree) at the University of Karlsruhe (TH) and at the École supérieure de Chimie industrielle de Lyon (France)

1996–1999
Ph.D. at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (Pfinztal) with a research stay in Reading (England) as a Marie Curie Fellow
Ph.D. thesis topic: Plasma polymerization of electrolyte membranes

1999–2001
Senior Scientist at the Johnson Matthey Technology Center in Reading (England)
Fuel cell development in collaboration with General Motors

2002–2018
Group Leader at Daimler AG with roles in research, development, and production:
Fuel cell development
Electric motor manufacturing
Battery recycling
Vehicle thermal management (exhaust heat recovery)
Additive Manufacturing—from prototyping to industrial mass production

2004–2006
Supplementary studies in business administration at Würzburg University of Applied Sciences

2018–present
Professor at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences – Technology and Economics
Focus: Additive Design and Manufacturing

Teaching

• CAM
• Manufacturing Technologies and Management
• Materials
• Smart Manufacturing
• Technology Management
• Learning Factory

Research

• Industrialization of Additive Manufacturing Methods
• New Products via Additive Manufacturing, e.g., for Mobility Concepts
• Additive Manufacturing Factory Concepts
• Industrial Process Chain for Additive Manufacturing (ZIM Project IDUNA, Duration: 2022–2024)
• Predictive quality assurance in additive manufacturing using innovative AI methods (BMBF SIMON Project, 2025–2027)
• New teaching concepts: Franco-German Culture and Technology Week (funded by the Franco-German University, 2025–2026)

Interests

• Additive Design and Manufacturing
• Electric Mobility
• Sustainability and Recycling