Institute of Materials and Processes

The area of manufacturing technology and production includes a machine hall, which is used by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics as well as the Institute of Materials and Processes (IMP).

Lectures, numerous projects with students as well as projects with industrial partners are carried out in this area. The equipment includes:

• Machine tools (5-axis milling, turning, wire and die-sinking EDM)
• Welding room
• Measuring room
• Plastic injection molding and extrusion
• 3-D printer (focus on FFF)
• Cold test stand

The robotics laboratory is used for teaching at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics as well as for research by the Institute of Materials and Processes. Among other things, research is conducted on the solution of collaborative tasks, real-time control of mobile robots with actuators (articulated robots), and their tilt detection and prevention. There is also a focus on the simulation of robots and the development of robot systems based on ROS. The equipment includes:

• Articulated robots:
  • KUKA Agilus KR10
  • Universal Robots UR10
  • Schunk LWA4D lightweight arm
  • Franka Emika Panda
• Gripping technology
• Camera systems
• Mobile robot platforms (Metralabs SCITOS)

The Materials Testing Laboratory is divided into three areas:

Mechanical materials testing

Includes the most important equipment for testing metallic materials statically and dynamically:

• modern universal testing machine for tensile, compression and bending tests up to 200 kN
• hardness testing equipment for Brinell, Vickers and Rockwell hardness measurement
• fatigue tests for tensile-compressive stress up to ±10 kN
• pendulum impact tester up to 300 J for notched bar impact testing

Metallography and microscopy

• cutting and embedding devices
• grinding and polishing machines
• chemical laboratory for etching
• five light microscopes with digital cameras and computer workstations
• two stereo microscopes

A digitally controlled scanning electron microscope with a relatively large sample chamber allows imaging of samples with secondary or backscattered electrons. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis can be used to quantitatively analyze materials down to the element nitrogen.

Non-destructive testing

• test bench for magnetic crack detection
• two ultrasonic testing devices for perpendicular and oblique scanning
• equipment for dye penetrant testing

In the plastics technology laboratory of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, research and development is primarily carried out in the fields of injection molding, extrusion and fiber composites. Furthermore, exercises are offered accompanying the lectures Polymers, Plastics Technology and Automotive Lightweight Construction of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics.

Injection molding

An injection molding facility from ARBURG is available for regular project work and final theses in the area of mold development and process optimization.

Extrusion

• Single-screw extruder from the Reifenhäuser company
  • equipped with gearless torque drive 
  • extruder is equipped with a tube die and is primarily used for student teaching purposes.
• Leistritz twin-screw extruder
  • allows flexible design of the extrusion process and can be optimally adapted to the respective process task
  • extruder is used for plastics processing such as the production of 3D filaments for FFF processes or individually mixed injection molding granulate

Fiber composites

The Fiber Composite Laboratory is mainly concerned with the processing of continuous fiber reinforced thermosets.