This fact is considered as a major challenge to production systems and especially for production technologies. Therefore, Research Area A.2 is focused on flexible production processes and technologies as an important element to manage complexity and to allow product variety.

The development of a configuration logic for production systems (Research Area A.1) requires demand adapted technology and process models. Thus, the main objective of this Research Area is the development of interpretation and design models for mould-based and mould-less production processes, based on the description models developed in Research Area C.1. The models from A.1 describe the variant flexibility of production processes and make it possible to identify and design production processes which meet the optimum product variants operating range. In parallel with and based on the model development, the technological frontiers of production processes will be significantly extended and partly substituted by completely new methods for individualised production. Due to their major impact on changing the margins of an optimal product variants range there will be a focus on the development of modular moulds and dies for casting and extrusion processes as well as on the development of mould-less generative manufacturing processes.

Furthermore, for the plastics profile extrusion an automated optimisation algorithm will be developed. The optimisation goals of profile die design are taken and the flow through a flow channel is evaluated. Then the flow channel geometry is changed without user interaction until the optimisation goals are met.

Please find more information on the website of the Cluster of Excellence.