Press releases

Researchers at Fraunhofer IWS have developed a new laser-based technology called Laser Direct Plating that produces metallic layers faster, more energy-efficiently and at lower cost than established processes. The team helically wraps strip-shaped metal around rotationally symmetric components and locally creates a metallurgical bond to the substrate using laser energy. The base material remains solid, the surface stays smooth and requires little to no post-processing. Users significantly reduce cycle times, energy consumption and process costs.

A new measurement technology reduces scrap in fiber‑reinforced plastic (FRP) profiles and enables cost‑effective, real-time process control for small and medium-sized enterprises. Researchers developed the system in the PulLoop project led by the Fraunhofer Application Center for Optical Metrology and Surface Technologies AZOM. Together with Fraunhofer IGCV, the team developed an integrated measurement system that monitors product quality in real time during production and feeds the results back into the manufacturing process.

Friction determines energy consumption, wear, and the service life of technical systems. Within the BioSlide research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS investigates how sliding systems can be designed to be more sustainable and energy-efficient. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) under the “BioKreativ 4” program with around 3.3 million euros, the project establishes a new interdisciplinary junior research group. The group focuses on biobased materials, lubricants, and superlubricity.

Paper packaging offers a number of advantages over its plastic counterparts: It has a high recycling rate, lower CO₂ emissions, and lower disposal costs. However, it cannot yet be sealed without adhesives or layers of plastic – a disadvantage for manufacturing and recycling processes. In the PAPURE project, four Fraunhofer institutes are developing a laser-based process that enables completely adhesive-free paper packaging.

UltraGRAIN controls the grain structure of metallic components directly within the additive process. The international ICON research project of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, conducted with Australian partners, has shown that microstructures can be adjusted locally and in a targeted manner during laser-based metal deposition. The project involved Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS, Fraunhofer Institute for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT, and RMIT University in Melbourne. Funded through the Fraunhofer ICON program and by Australian partners, the consortium developed a scalable approach for industrial applications. The project concluded on February 25, 2026, with a final partner meeting in Dresden.

Functional tissue models are gaining importance in drug development, toxicology, and regenerative medicine. Cryopreservation, however, remains labor-intensive, error-prone, and difficult to scale. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS, together with other Fraunhofer institutes, has developed an automated platform that standardizes vitrification and delivers reproducible results. The “COLDIMPACT” project, part of the Fraunhofer preliminary research program Prepare, creates industry-oriented processes that replace manual, case-by-case work and pave the way for transfer into application and production.

Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS officially inaugurated DRYplatform on November 3, 2025, during the Dry Coating Forum. Guests witnessed the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, while nearly 200 experts, about 80 percent from industry, had already explored the potential and industrial perspectives of dry electrode coating at the preceding forum. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, today BMFTR) funded the facility with €3.7 million as a flagship project.

Lithium-sulfur batteries represent a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion systems. To overcome existing technological hurdles of this cell chemistry, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS and its partners are investigating a new cell architecture that reduces electrolyte content and adapts solid-state chemistry. Their goal is to develop practical cell concepts that combine high energy density with improved cycle life and enhanced safety. Two research projects – AnSiLiS, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), and TALISSMAN, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program – form the structural framework for this work. The project aims to develop a solid-state lithium-sulfur cell that provides comparable energy while weighing significantly less than current batteries.

With SAXFUSION, Saxony launches its first state-wide competence network for future technologies in nuclear fusion. The aim is to advance fusion as a clean, safe, and base-load capable energy source, to build strategic expertise, and to make the results available to industry and society. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) coordinates the project. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS co-leads the project. Other renowned Saxon research institutions participate as well. In addition, SAXFUSION integrates major international projects and industrial partners through cooperation agreements. The European Union and the Free State of Saxony support the project with around €2.4 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE).

EDcut serves as a development platform for laser-based cutting processes with high dynamics. Researchers at Fraunhofer IWS combine precise system technology with long-standing process expertise to open new industrial applications and to create technology-based solutions together with partners, from feasibility studies to system integration. The institute in Dresden will present the platform at the “Schweißen und Schneiden” trade fair in Essen from September 15 to 19, 2025.