"The lightweight construction phase of pure material substitution is coming to an end. The keywords concept lightweight construction and multi-material design will gain in importance in the future," Dr. Wolfgang Seeliger, Managing Director of Leichtbau BW GmbH, is certain. Experts and users will discuss where lightweight construction is heading in the coming years at the 5th Technology Day on Hybrid Lightweight Construction in Stuttgart. The focus will be on specific solutions and contributions from influencers and trendsetters will deliberately seek to "think outside the box" across industries.

The Technology Day casts its shadow ahead with a record: there were more submissions to the Call for Papers in 2018 than ever before. One of the major topics is concept lightweight construction: one presentation will introduce a new manufacturing process that was used to produce a hybrid underbody module in multi-material construction, which was used to specifically increase component rigidity, for example. An expert discussion will also be dedicated to the topic of lightweight construction in urban systems. Martin Zeilinger (Daimler AG), Prof. Johann Tomforde (Teamobility GmbH) and Dr. Bernhard Wiedemann (automotive-bw), among others, will take part in a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Wolfgang Seeliger."

Concept lightweight construction - that means completely rethinking components. Additive manufacturing processes in particular open up completely new possibilities for parts. This is why one presentation session is dedicated to additive manufacturing. One presentation, for example, will provide an insight into the production of a cockpit module cross member for a car using 3D printing, in which the weight was optimized by reducing the wall thickness and using filigree reinforcement structures.

Especially when looking at additive manufacturing processes, there is one topic that can no longer be ignored: digitalization. For this reason, two lecture sessions will be dedicated to the topic of digitalization and simulation, focusing on how artificial intelligence can be used to understand geometry in the automation of computer-aided engineering processes. Research results from the "DigitPro" project will also be presented, which aims to shorten development times thanks to a digital prototype.

Whenever materials are combined with each other, the topic of joining technology plays a central role, as the subsequent properties of the joint also depend on the joining process selected. In the thematic block on process innovation, for example, you can learn about the problems that can occur when joining steel-plastic joints and a lightweight, flexible process will be shown that can be used to join steel and plastic economically.

Experience innovations at the trade exhibition

On the first day, in addition to attending the presentations, it is also worth taking a stroll through the accompanying trade exhibition, where companies will be presenting their innovations in lightweight construction. Companies that have already registered as exhibitors include AutomoTeam GmbH, Cadfem GmbH, Ejot GmbH & Co KG, KVT Fastening GmbH, Hachtel Werkzeugbau GmbH & Co KG, Herbert Hänchen GmbH & Co KG and L-Bank. With Hwajin Co., Ltd. a South Korean exhibitor will also be represented for the first time.