New Materials in Manufacturing

In the shift from producing traditional mass-produced goods to ones which are more personalised and energy-efficient, industries in Europe are now making use of materials which are more functional, lightweight and less of a burden to the environment. This poses new challenges for the manufacturing process.

Moreover, increasing pressure on global resources highlights the need to improve materials efficiency. Figures show that other advanced economies such as Japan have been able to double their materials efficiency over the past 30 years, whereas Europe, in spite of good progress, continues to lag behind.

Materials efficiency

Research in this area will explore the efficient use of resources such as metals, water, lubricants and rare earth elements. Materials efficiency can be improved through recycling or by streamlining different stages of production. Moreover, methods which make heavy use of resources such as cutting, grinding, milling or etching can be replaced by ‘net-shape’ or additive production methods.

A key element is the use of sensors and software tools to track the materials flow and compare the efficiency of alternative production methods. Integrating materials consumption parameters in modelling algorithms allows for a simulation-based analysis and the optimisation of the overall manufacturing chain in terms of resource efficiency.

Manufacturing processes for new high-performing materials

Modern high-performing materials such as alloys, intermetallics, bioceramics metal-ceramic composites, fibre-based structures, nanophased components and "carbon neutral" materials present new challenges for manufacturing and thus require new production processes. This research area also covers activities which add new features to materials during the manufacturing process so as to increase the value of the final product. Examples include roll-to-roll manufacturing and the surface modification of flexible materials.