Every year, around half a million people in Germany are diagnosed with cancer. Despite the existence of effective treatment options for many types of cancer, many questions about the development of the disease remain unanswered. Why does a tumor develop? What factors promote the growth of cancer cells? Why do metastases spread to other organs over time? The animal models mainly in use to date only represent the actual processes in the human body to a limited extent. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden has developed special microsystems in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM in Hanover and the University of Regensburg. They are now using them to examine tissue sections of tumors under realistic conditions.

Sound waves can reveal surface properties. Parameters such as surface or coating quality of components can be analyzed non-destructively using lasers and sensors. In research and some industrial laboratories, this laser-induced surface wave spectroscopy has already become an established measurement technology. With “LAwave”, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden will present the second generation of a user-friendly measuring device at the International trade fair for quality assurance “Control” in April 2024, which will pave the way into industrial practice.

High-resolution hyperspectral images are set to take quality assurance and increased efficiency in industry, agriculture, and autonomous driving to a new level. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden heads a European consortium of twelve companies and research institutes tackling this objective in the project “HyperImage – A universal spectral image sensor platform for industry, agriculture, and autonomous driving”. The European Union is funding the project with a total of 5.6 million EUR over a period of 3.5 years.

Novel storage material for solid-state batteries is the focus of the project “FB2-SiSuFest – Evaluation of silicon anodes in sulfide solid-state batteries”. As a promising anode material, silicon nitride-based particles could enable a high storage capacity with stable and safe operation. The research alliance of renowned partners has received funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) amounting to 1.7 million euros as part of the “Clusters Go Industry” funding guideline as part of the FestBatt cluster. The project will run from December 2023 to November 2025.

Several Fraunhofer Institutes and the Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus-Senftenberg, under the leadership of Rolls-Royce Germany and other partners such as the research institution ACCESS, are collaborating on the future of hybrid electric flying. Supported by the state of Brandenburg and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, the partners are researching an entirely new propulsion system for medium-range aircraft with up to 35 passengers.

Europe and Saxony support the “Future Mobility” cooperation. The Dresden-based semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies Dresden wants to develop technologies for the mobility of the future together with three medium-sized companies and seven research institutions from Saxony. The European Union and the Free State of Saxony fund the research and development project “Green mobility ‘made in Saxony’ - innovative solutions for future-oriented automotive and industrial applications (Future Mobility)” with around 17.7 million euros. Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs and Labor, Martin Dulig, symbolically handed the funding decisions to the project partners today at an on-site meeting.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden will install a Europe-wide unique industrial 3D printer. The Additive Manufacturing system from manufacturer Farsoon is based on selective laser beam melting in a powder bed. It can produce substantial components with complex geometries from aluminum, titanium, nickel, iron, copper, and other metallic powders layer by layer.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) are considered harmful to health, especially as potential carcinogens. For example, the molecular compounds of carbon and hydrogen atoms can arise in house fires when mattresses, curtains, wooden beams, plastic, or other objects made of organic materials burn. To better protect firefighters from these risks, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden, together with partners from industry, has laid the groundwork for developing novel anti-PAK protective suits. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project with 1.24 million euros until December 2023 as part of the “Research for Civil Security” program.

Given the increasing demand for renewable energy sources, the need for modern dismantling technologies for underwater use is also growing. For example, to bring a wind power plant in the sea up to more power, old steel frames must first be dismantled below sea level to rebuild them later in a larger size. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden has now found a technological approach to use lasers as particularly efficient, environmentally friendly, and energy-saving cutting tools in water.

Light embodies far more than just color and brightness. Strongly focused, the light may serve as a powerful tool. Technically, this capability has been exploited for over 60 years with the help of lasers, which are now available in a wide variety of power classes ranging from a few milliwatts to well over 40 kilowatts. In high-precision metrology, as a non-contact, wear-free tool for cutting, joining, coating, surface structuring and heat treatment, and for Additive Manufacturing: The combined Laser Symposium and International Symposium on Additive Manufacturing (ISAM) conference in Dresden from November 29 to December 1, 2023, will show how lasers contribute significantly to added industrial value today and in the future. Artificial intelligence is helping to further push the boundaries of laser-based processes.

Improved speed, precision and flexibility – it is important to take advantage of every possible opportunity in optimizing production. To this end, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS have developed SURFinpro, a solution that uses artificial intelligence and optical measurement technology to detect, classify and visualize defects in real time, and report them to the plant carrying out the production. The experts will be presenting their system from June 27 to 30, 2023, at Laser World of Photonics, joint Fraunhofer Booth 441 in Hall A3.