Our project team members Dr. Valentin Dalbauer and Marc Luger spent two intensive and exciting days at the plenary meeting of Material Digital in Karlsruhe - a platform for digitizing a wide range of materials.

Among them was our ongoing project SensoTwin.

Special attention was paid to the exchange and interaction of all participants from industry and research, the projects funded within MaterialDigital.

The 10 students of the "Klima AG" of the Gymnasium Untergriesbach were able to immerse themselves in the world of research and development. The kids not only took a look behind the scenes, but were also able to experience for themselves how applied research is realized. 
"From old to new" - was the motto of the day!
The girls were able to experience all the steps of the process in the recyclable materials cycle for themselves. The packaging, yogurt pots and bottles brought from school were identified, separated, shredded and sorted. There were exciting things to discover in the laboratory rooms.
In addition to specially conducted experiments, the operation of the in-house extruder including film blowing system was explored.

The Hutthurm Technology Campus also experienced an unusual afternoon with the "Jugend forscht" group from the Staatliche Realschule Hauzenberg. 
The students produced their own glass-fiber reinforced plastic. The tensile strength of this material was tested on the tensile testing machine. 
The favorite topic of the young talents was clearly 3D printing.

Automated, universal, resource-saving: This is what the future of powder-based 3D printing should look like.
To make this happen, we are working together on the AutoClean project to develop an AI-based, fully automated
sorting and cleaning process for additively manufactured components as well as an integrated quality control system.

One advantage of the 3D printing process in the powder bed is that complex components of various sizes and geometries can be produced there in a single manufacturing process. However, until the finished component is produced, the adhering powder must be removed through various, predominantly manual post-processing steps.
The current process flow is very time-consuming and expensive. This is where the AutoClean project comes in:

- Automated processes instead of manual post-processing -.

At the Hutthurm Technology Campus, the post-processing line is first created and tested virtually to support the implementation of a real system.
The SHL company is developing an innovative gripping system that can safely handle components of any geometry and size. In order to be able to link individual stations and identify components, intelligent robotics applications are being programmed and tested at the Cham campus. For the individual cleaning of different components, a modular cleaning technology is to be developed in cooperation with thinkTec 3D. The implementation is supported at the Hutthurm Campus by a cleaning simulation, which virtually maps the process and can test different designs of the manufacturing parameters.

Tasks such as quality inspection and sorting are to be performed by an artificial intelligence in the future. To this end, a neural network is being trained at the Hutthurm campus so that it can recognize components and surface cleanliness as well as detect defects. The first prototype of the post-processing station is expected in early 2024.

As part of their company tours, around 20 members of Wirtschaftsjunioren Passau e.V. had the opportunity to take a closer look at the work done at our campus. The campus tour under the motto "More robust, more efficient and more sustainable" led through our testing and manufacturing laboratories, where the production of prototypes made of fiber composite materials could be viewed.

Insight into ongoing projects was provided by our scientific employee Sebastian Kölbl, among others. To illustrate recycling tests, he presented our laboratory blown film line to the visitors. Research is being conducted into the direct processing of mixed plastics from yellow bag waste, among other things, without special pre-treatment. We enjoyed exciting discussions at the end of the day together.

Technical support systems such as exoskeletons are developed with the aim of supporting people in the execution of movements and thereby reducing the loads acting on them and, for example, making everyday working life easier. In the past, it was mainly passive exoskeletons that achieved a breakthrough in practical application, while active systems still have a niche existence.

In the interdisciplinary research cluster "Active Exoskeletons", the three Technology Campuses Cham, Freyung and Hutthurm s are working together. A prototype of an active exoskeleton for the lower extremities is being developed.

The focus is on the design of a lightweight structure, the implementation of efficient drives and smart control with the aid of artificial intelligence.

At the career fair of the Wirtschaftsjunioren Passau "WJ4School" on October 21, 2022, we were able to present the exciting research work and the associated professions of our Technology Campus to many interested students. A perfect opportunity to bring our work closer to the future professionals and to get into conversation.
Our active exoskeleton from the "ForCEs" project offered exemplary visual material, but lightweight construction with "carbon" and sometimes surprising potentials of additive manufacturing were also gladly discussed. 
Exciting insights into the content of the study programs were provided by our colleagues from the study orientation.

On April 16, 2021 the kick-off meeting for the joint project "Functionalization 3D (FDM) components for detonation coating" - SurfMod3Dton - took place at the Technologie Campus Hutthurm. Already after the visit of the scientific director of the Technologie Campus Hutthurm Mr. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mathias Hartmann together with the scientific assistant Sebastian Kölbl in July 2020 the idea of a joint funding project was born.

The metal and coating company Reimann Industrietechnik GmbH in Hofkirchen-Garham, which is located in the immediate vicinity, attaches great importance to innovation and regionality with its approximately 26 employees. Together they visited the production of various metallic turned and milled parts, such as deflection rollers or contact tubes, as well as the area of surface treatment to increase the chemical, thermal and mechanical resistance of metal components. Then, in intensive discussions, the possibilities of coating by the special detonation process (see picture) for plastic and CFRP components were pushed. This resulted in numerous points of contact between the Reimann company and the Hutthurm Technology Campus, which is only about 30 minutes away. A nine-month project for the coating of additively manufactured components has now been successfully applied for and started on 01.04.2021. The sponsor of the small project is the Bavarian Research Foundation based in Munich.
 

Together with the Reimann company, TCH is in close consultation and regularly sounding out further joint applications. This involves, for example, the processing of thermoplastic molding compounds using the RIM process and subsequent enhancement of surface quality through coating. Future projects are to include the topics of recycling and sustainability as central building blocks. The Technologie Campus Hutthurm is looking forward to future cooperation with the company Reimann Industrietechnik GmbH as well as with other regional companies.

The service technicians and the employees of the Hutthurm Technology Campus devoted a whole week to the newly delivered tensile testing machine. Thanks to the energetic commitment of all those involved, the machine was duly handed over and put into operation on the last day of assembly. As a result, static and dynamic tests of filled and unfilled plastics as well as fiber-reinforced composites can now be carried out. This knowledge gained about the characteristic material values serves as a basis for the validation of the process and structure simulation.

At the kick off for the DIT internally funded project "ForCEs" for newly appointed professors (Prof. Hartmann - TC Hutthurm and Prof. Aumer - TC Cham) the topics around lightweight construction, simulation, sensor and actuator technology as well as connection SmartDevices and virtual reality in connection with the construction of an exoskeleton were discussed. In the first step, the already collected state of the art and science was compiled and subsequently the fields of application such as medicine / rehabilitation, industry and military were discussed. Finally, the further fields of action were discussed and categorized. The aim of the project is to bring together all relevant research areas of the THD in order to be able to offer industry innovative, tailored solutions for new applications of active exoskeletons.

In picture from left: Maja Köckeis, M.Eng. (TC Cham), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mathias Hartmann (TC Hutthurm), Sabine Gröller (TC Freyung), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dorner, M.Sc. (TC Freyung), Sebastian Kölbl, Dipl.-Ing. (TC Hutthurm), Christina Sigl M.Sc. (TC Freyung), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Aumer (TC Cham).

For 15 weeks, 4 mechanical engineering and mechatronics students from the Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences were active in their project work organized at the Hutthurm Technology Campus (TCH). In an initial exploratory phase, an extensive market research was used to select a suitable FFF compact device from available 3D printers as the basis for the demonstration platform at TCH, which meets the requirements for future manufacturing tests on generic structures. The project included the development of solutions for the acquisition and evaluation of sensor data from temperature sensors, humidity sensors and a thermal camera for tracking and monitoring the printing process using proprietary software. These measured values were then graphically processed and analyzed. To determine the mechanical material properties "as printed", a total of 16 tensile specimens with 4 different deposition strategies were produced and destroyed by means of tensile tests in the test laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The discussion of the results also provided new insights into the process influences and, with the work in the laboratory, certainly provided a welcome change from the current predominantly online teaching.

With the "Raise3D Pro 2" and extensive measurement technology, the Technology Campus is now well equipped for future project work. The results and findings obtained here serve as the basis for a thesis already underway to further advance the topic of robust and targeted process control and monitoring in 3D printing.

With the still valid hygiene measures in place, but a lot of motivation, the first lecture at the Technology Campus in Hutthurm started on Monday, June 8, 2020.

As a university of applied sciences, DIT's research work is always rooted in real-life cases. Since 2009, DIT has successively established 11 Technology Campuses in the neighbouring districts around Deggendorf where staff and students develop innovative solutions or products. All projects have the financial backing of businesses who aim to immediately integrate research results into their company structures or production lines to improve their products or manufacturing efficiency.

Nine students from different universities were able to attend the lecture of the scientific campus director Prof. Dr. Mathias Hartmann. With sufficient safety distance and hygiene measures in place, nothing stood in the way of the long-awaited attendance event.

The Technology Campus (TC) Hutthurm focuses on innovative solutions in plastics technologies and establishes efficiency through process development, lightweight construction and materials research.

The whole team at the TC is happy that the event could take place despite the current situation.

We start with the extended team and are there for you with new clout in all questions around the topics simulation, lightweight construction and sustainability in plastics technology.

Technology Campus Plastics Hutthurm: Technology Transfer and Skilled Workers for the Passau Economic Region The scientific campus director Prof. Dr. Mathias Hartmann speaks of an efficient networking of the Technical University of Deggendorf and the local companies. The aim is to bring qualified specialists to the region and to accelerate technology transfer. The specialist technical focus on the development of lightweight structures, manufacturing process simulation and smart and digital production will strengthen the competitiveness and innovative strength of plastics processing companies. Image (Stephen Hahn, pa-ck-mas, Passau District Office): Sees the concept for success in the efficient networking between university and campus: Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Mathias Hartmann

In addition to District Administrator Franz Meyer, the Hutthurm Technology Campus also had the pleasure of welcoming, from left: Prof. Dr. Dmitry Rychkov, Operative Director Christian Schopf, Prof. Dr. Andreas Grzemba, Christine Wägemann, District Administrator Franz Meyer, Armin Diewald, District Administrator Gerhard Wägemann, Vice District Administrator Raimund Kneidinger, Prof. Dr. Mathias Hartmann, Mayor Hermann Baumann, Prof. Dr. Christian Wilisch and Heidi Taubeneder. In 2015, the first technology and study center of the "Kunststoffcampus Bayern" was already opened in Weißenburg. District Administrator Franz Meyer emphasized that the campus promotes networking and inter-communal cooperation, as plastics is the most important industrial sector and thus the starting point for the establishment of the campuses in Weißenburg and Hutthurm. Due to the transformation in the market town of Hutthurm, the new campus fits very well with the current spirit of optimism. The focus is on networking with industry and on developing the "Plastics Campus Bavaria" into an internationally recognized education and research center.

The eleventh branch of the Technical University of Deggendorf was opened in the building of the Sorcole company. The campus was created in partnership with the Technology Center in Weißenburg and is a cooperation across Bavaria under the sign of innovation and sustainability. After the proposal of Günter Brunner, managing director of the company Sorcole, to open a campus, many discussions were held and a total of 4 years passed until the opening. Prof. Dr. Mathias Hartmann is the scientific director. The simulation of manufacturing processes and the development of "intelligent manufacturing" will create future prospects for young skilled workers in the region.