Construction work completed by the end of the year

Almost sixty builders are currently working on the construction site of the Fraunhofer IKTS in Hermsdorf. The continuous rain in May has not affected the construction work. But the long winter has led to slight delays. Now it is worked intensively to meet the tight deadline. By the end of the year the construction work at the new research building shall be completed. In the three-storey extension a total of almost 18 million Euro will be invested, six million Euros are earmarked for scientific instruments and laboratory equipment. 75 percent of the total investment are EU funds from the "Operational Program 2007-2013 Thuringia. "The remaining 25 percent will be provided in equal shares by the Free State of Thuringia and by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF.

The Fraunhofer IKTS will continue to grow

Expected in January 2014, the staff of the Fraunhofer IKTS Hermsdorf can occupy the building, which is urgently needed because the existing Institute building IS bursting at the seams. In recent years, the Institute has grown considerably. By 2015, a further personnel increase from 130 today to about 150 people is planned.

Industry-related ceramic research for Green Technology

The research and development work at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS extends across the entire value chain of high-performance ceramic materials, from basic supply-oriented research to prototype production. In close cooperation with the local ceramic industry, ceramic materials, components and manufacturing processes are developed and transferred from the laboratory to industry-related facilities on a pilot scale. So, they are to be transferred more quickly into marketable applications.

The extension in Hermsdorf is part of the concept of integration of parts of the Fraunhofer Institute in Dresden and Hermsdorf, with which the two institutions will combine their activities into a leading national and international industry-related research center in the field of technical ceramics. With the expansion of the Hermsdorf branch of the institute, new applications for ceramics are to be discovered.

In the new clean room lab, transparent high-performance oxide ceramics for optical applications are synthesized in the future. This creates new application opportunities for ceramic components in optics, laser technology, lighting and instrumentation. In the adjacent membrane pilot plant, processes of production for ceramic membranes are being tested. Such membranes are used in environmental technology, e.g. for the treatment of water, gases and recyclables. A pilot plant for plasma spraying of ceramics allows the production of completely new ceramic coatings on plastics and composite materials in pilot scale. Very lightweight and high-strength plastics can be provided with hard, wear-resistant and durable protective and functional coatings. Growing applications also arise in medical technology, engineering and lightweight construction for the automobile industry.

This research fields contribute to the development of environmentally friendly technologies in the leading markets "Resource and material efficiency", "Environmentally friendly power generation and energy storage" as well as "Circular economy" and "Sustainable water management". They therefore have a significant relation to the GreenTech Strategy of the State of Thuringia.