Natural Fibers

Wood as a Sustainable Material in Transition

As a renewable and locally available material, wood makes an important contribution to climate neutrality and sustainability. The shift from Central European coniferous monocultures to mixed coniferous and deciduous forests – driven by climate change, droughts, pest infestations, and extreme weather events – is leading to an increase in the supply of hardwood and storm-damaged wood on the market. This is fundamentally changing the raw material base of the wood industry. This is precisely where the Fraunhofer Institute for Materials and Beam Technology IWS is opening up new processing possibilities with laser-based manufacturing processes. Laser technology enables precise, reproducible, and locally limited material removal as well as targeted surface modification. The Dresden-based institute is developing these approaches for applications in timber construction, transportation, the furniture industry, the packaging industry, and mechanical engineering, and is combining precise laser processes with the requirements of industrial manufacturing. In this way, Fraunhofer IWS is expanding the processing possibilities for wood- and paper-based materials.

Challenges of Modern Materials and Manufacturing Processes

The growing anatomical and chemical heterogeneity of wood- and paper-based materials poses a challenge to existing processing methods. Hybrid construction methods, such as wood-concrete and wood-steel, also place greater demands on stable, flexible, and cost-effective manufacturing processes. Laser processing responds to these challenges with high processing speeds, short processing times, and a non-contact process that prevents tool wear. This supports efficient and low-maintenance processing even of dense and abrasive hardwood materials, such as beech and black locust. Stable process parameters ensure consistent quality and facilitate integration into automated inline production lines. 

Comprehensive Portfolio of Services for the Industrial Sector

Fraunhofer IWS offers a comprehensive portfolio of services for the development and industrial implementation of innovative solutions. From laser-based system and process technology for wood and paper processing to innovative joining methods and characterization and testing, the institute covers the entire value chain. The focus is on application-oriented solutions that enable stable processes and reliable component quality. The portfolio is complemented by the targeted leveling of surfaces for optimal bonding preparation as well as the reliable sealing and custom contour cutting of rotary-cut veneers. In addition, functional and decorative surface finishing enables tailor-made solutions that meet both technical properties and aesthetic requirements.

Sustainable Integration into Industrial Manufacturing

Through the close integration of technology development, joining technology, and characterization, Fraunhofer IWS drives the integration of sustainable materials into industrial manufacturing processes.

The laser finger-jointing process is an innovative alternative to conventional milling and enables precise wood joints through targeted material removal using a laser. Shorter wood segments can thus be reliably joined to form load-bearing components.

The flexible process optimizes material utilization, ensures uniform force transmission, and allows different geometries without changing tools. This reduces setup times and tooling costs while maintaining high process reliability and industrial scalability.

Advantage: more efficient production, lower costs, and dimensionally stable wood joints with consistently high quality.

Through the PAPURE project, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), for Materials and Beam Technology (IWS), for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV), and for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) aim to develop a method for sealing paper packaging without the use of any foreign materials.

The institutes are combining their expertise to develop an innovative joining process that fundamentally improves the recyclability of paper packaging. In this process, the material is modified through laser pretreatment so that it can then be securely joined directly using a heat-sealing process.

The PaPure project's demonstration plant enables the production of packaging bags using innovative laser joining technology for the first time.

Paper is continuously unwound from a roll, irradiated, and joined. This enables the production of square bags at a rate of 10 pieces per minute. The seal seam is continuously monitored by camera and the seam strength is automatically verified on a sample basis.