Commemorative Publication 30 Years IVW

IVW turns 30. This is a reason for us to celebrate! Our concept „from the basics to the application“ has proven to be extremely successful since our foundation by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in 1990, and the house has developed into a leading research institution in the promising field of fiber reinforced composites in recent years. After a great effort by our founding fathers, Professors Manfred Neitzel, Klaus Friedrich and Martin Maier, and a highly motivated team from the very beginning, we can now look back with pride on a number of important basic research projects (over 170 dissertations to date), innovations, successful spin-offs and international networks. „High Tech Composites made in Kaiserslautern“ can be found today, for example, in aerospace products, in automobiles and rail vehicles, in machines, in medical and energy technologies. But we also have great plans for the future. In the field of mobility, not only light and high-strength structures that can be produced very cost-effectively and protect passengers in the best possible way, but also multifunctional solutions are required. These are structures that can also perform electrical functions, for example, or that can change their shape „at the push of a button“. In an increasingly older and wealthier society, we need new solutions in medical and health technology. Therefore, we are developing advanced technologies for customized orthoses and radiolucent implants. In the important field of energy, we are working on further reducing friction and wear and on advanced technologies for energy storage. Three guiding principles are important to us: Firstly, a holistic research approach that takes into account the entire process chain from materials, component development and production to operation and recycling. Secondly, the use of the material multifunctionality that can be implemented so excellently with composite materials in particular. And finally, the principle of sustainability, by continuing to ensure that components can be used for extremely long periods, can be easily repaired and can be efficiently reused at the end of their life cycle. Just in time for our anniversary, the Joint Science Conference (GWK) decided on June 26, 2020, that IVW should be included in the joint funding by the federal and state governments within the Leibniz Association. These are excellent prospects.

We look forward to the future!