"With this award, we want to specifically recognize the scientific staff of the participating research institutions who work on such projects during the usually two to three-year term and show outstanding achievements," says Broos, explaining the motivation for the non-endowed, non-material prize.

Project of the year 2024: Minimizing set-up times on forging hammers

Martin Wagner, Nico Wagner and Dr. Robert Tehel from the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) in Chemnitz received the award for their project "Minimizing set-up times on forging hammers using a sensitive die clamping system (sGs)". The aim was to make tool changes on forging hammers more efficient, safer and more reproducible.

To this end, a measuring system was developed with which the clamping situation in the process can be recorded both qualitatively and quantitatively for the first time. Based on this data, FEM simulations were created that provided new insights into the clamping conditions. From this, a new type of clamping system was derived that can withstand the extreme dynamic and thermal loads in the forging process.

The advantages: shorter set-up times due to fewer readjustments, increased process reliability thanks to reproducible pretensioning and increased work safety, as uncontrolled hammer blows are avoided when driving in wedges. The concept also opens up new potential for automation and cost reduction.

"With the newly developed measuring and clamping concept, companies can make their forging processes safer, more efficient and more economical. The data obtained provides detailed insights into the actual clamping conditions for the first time and opens up new possibilities for automation," explains Martin Wagner.

The industry partner was Sebastian Frank, Head of Development at Lasco Umformtechnik GmbH, Coburg:
"Tool mounting on forging hammers has remained essentially unchanged since the dawn of forging. It was therefore long overdue to investigate whether new technological means could be used to gain knowledge that could be developed into practicable results so that the highly efficient forging hammer can continue to meet the constantly growing customer requirements."
Frank is pleased that a basis for the development of future systems has been laid with a high degree of practical relevance.

Project of the year 2023: Dimensioning of protective devices for grinding machines

The second award-winning project was carried out by Simon Thom at the Institute for Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF) at TU Berlin. It deals with the "Dimensioning of guards for stationary grinding machines".

The aim was to be able to design protective enclosures in such a way that operating personnel and machines are reliably protected without being unnecessarily oversized. Previous burst tests were realistic, but neither reproducible nor economical.

The Berlin researchers combined translational impact tests with finite element simulations. This resulted in a regression model that describes the relationship between grinding wheel parameters and the required wall thickness. This made it possible for the first time to develop well-founded and at the same time resource-saving specifications for the design of protective devices.

The results have already been incorporated into the international standard ISO 16089, which makes CE marking easier for manufacturers, shortens approval processes and increases occupational safety.

"The project is an example of the persistent and targeted scientific work at the IWF. In close cooperation with the machine tool manufacturers in the VDW and the BGHM trade association, we have carried out applied research that directly benefits practice," emphasizes Simon Thom.

Christian Adler, from the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the woodworking and metalworking industries and chairman of the responsible standardization group, also praised the work:
"As a professional association, it is our concern that occupational health and safety specifications are not only adhered to, but also widely accepted. A sound scientific basis is essential for this. In this context, Mr. Thom's outstanding project has made a significant contribution to the further development of dimensioning specifications for guards."

Both projects were supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the "Industrial Collective Research" funding program.

VDW Research Institute: Pioneer for joint industrial research

The VDW Research Institute bundles the needs of VDW member companies and other companies when machine tool and production technology questions need to be answered.

The focus is on pre-competitive joint industrial research, for which funding is obtained from the IGF program of the same name at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The institute also supports numerous projects with its own funds.

The activities include eight topic-related working groups that deal with aspects of process technology, machine development and safety or control topics. This creates networks of companies that are in competition with each other, but complement each other and open up new subject areas.

The joint work strengthens the industry and German SMEs in the metalworking sector as a whole.

Source: Emelie Melchert / Dr. Alexander Broos, VDW