15 November 2010
Professor Michaeli awarded the Otto von Guericke Medal
"Building bridges between industry and academia"

The German Federation of Industrial Research Associations (Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen "Otto von Guericke" e.V. – AiF) has presented Walter Michaeli with the Otto von Guericke Medal. The head of IKV received this prestigious award at the general assembly of the Federation's Scientific Council in Berlin on November 9, 2010. The medal is held in high esteem in the field of collaborative industrial research. Since it was first awarded in 1967, there have been only 30 recipients. The last was the long-time former AiF President Johann Wilhelm Arntz in 2008. (Read more in the PDF)

25 Ocotober 2010
Michaeli's successor at IKV named
Hopmann to become new head of the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV)

University Professor Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann (42) will succeed University Professor Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E.h. Walter Michaeli as head of the Institute, Director of the Association of Sponsors of IKV, and holder of the Chair of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University. Michaeli will hand over these functions after many highly successful years when he reaches retirement age in summer 2011. (please read more in the press release)

16 September 2010
Hybrid Production – Bringing Power to Plastics
IKV to present innovative combination at K 2010: the die casting of metal and the injection moulding of plastics

Combining different processes to create a single-step process makes it possible to combine different materials and thus different functionalities in one moulded part. The Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University is currently developing a new and efficient process chain for the production of electrically conductive plastic/metal parts. The innovative aspect of this project is the processing of the plastic and the metal in a hybrid, single-step multi-component injection moulding process. The new process will be showcased for the first time on the IKV stand (hall 14/C16) at K 2010, due to take place from 27 October to 3 November 2010, in Düsseldorf under the motto "Hybrid Production – Bringing Power to Plastics". (Please find more information in the pdf file.)

4 August 2010
Precise measurement technology for complex plastic films enables cost savings
Successful cooperation between two Aachen institutes and industry

The increasing requirements upon packaging films are reflected technologically in a more and more complex layer composition and an increase of functional layers of plastic films. As functional layers, expensive materials such as the plastic EVOH, for example, are commonly used. Due to the comparably high material price of the functional plastic, however, plastics processors have been making an effort to keep the share of the product’s raw materials as low as possible while retaining functionality. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT together with the Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung (IKV) at the RWTH Aachen University are developing a system to measure plastic films. (Please find more information in the pdf file.)

26 July 2010
Plasma technology meets plastics processing
SFB/TRR 87: New collaborative research centre approved by DFG

Since July 1, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has been sponsoring the transregional collaborative research centre (SFB/TRR 87) for plasma technology. Coordinated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Awakowicz form Ruhr University, Bochum (RUB), and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kirsten Bobzin from RWTH Aachen University, research teams from RWTH, RUB and the University of Paderborn have joined forces to examine fundamental issues regarding the  development of plasma-assisted processes for the deposition of functional layers. Nine research institutes are participating in this joint project, officially titled "Pulsed high-power plasmas for the synthesis of nano-structured functional layers", including the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University. (Please find more information in the pdf.)

8 March 2010
IKV Colloquium 2010
500 experts discuss the prospects for plastics technology

Aachen – With 500 experts from 15 countries, plus 40 exhibitors, the 25th International Plastics Technology Colloquium 2010 organised by the Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung (IKV), which looks back on a long tradition, was able to maintain its position as the rendezvous for the plastics sector ... (more in the PDF)