Augsburg University and Augsburg University of Applied Sciences rely on Fiber Patch Placement technology for R&D in the fields of Artificial intelligence (AI) and new materials. Cevotec’s SAMBA Step system is operational from August 2021 at the newly opened building Materials Resource Management (MRM) located at Augsburg Innovationspark.
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Two research organizations have joined forces for research projects focusing on patch-based fiber lay-up: The Institute of Materials Resource Management (MRM), Augsburg University, with focus on ceramic fiber composites and data-driven computational materials science, and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. The technological backbone of the common research focused on AI and new materials is a SAMBA Step system from Cevotec based on Fiber Patch Placement (FPP) technology. “SAMBA Step systems with their flexible degree of automation are explicitly designed for prototyping and product development in R&D departments, institutes and universities,” explains Thorsten Groene, CEO of Cevotec. “The systems feature individual robot configurations and are very flexible regarding the materials processed. They can additionally be equipped with a variety of sensors to monitor the production process. We currently plan an extension of the SAMBA Step system with 12 individual sensors that feed real-time data to an AI-based analysis engine.”
Augsburg University intends to use the system for research in the field of ceramic fiber composites. “We will investigate the patch-based process using ceramic fiber composites for new applications,”, states Prof. Dietmar Koch, head of chair in Materials Engineering at MRM.
With the installation of a SAMBA Step system at MRM in Augsburg, Cevotec also continues and strengthens the existing cooperation with Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. Prof. Neven Majić, as one of Cevotec’s co-founders now dedicated to developing FPP technology in the science and research environment of the Augsburg institute, comments: “AI is a relevant research topic for us. Fiber Patch Placement represents an innovative composite production technology with increased degrees of freedom. This offers a huge potential for AI development in patch-based composites manufacturing.” Majic’s research colleague Prof. Baeten underlines this statement and adds: “Fiber Patch Placement will be also used for the production of hybrid materials to achieve ultra-lightweight designs.”
While the Augsburg University was responsible for setting-up the initial SAMBA Step system, the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences will take over the future expansion with a sensor-intensive automated feeding unit. The SAMBA system, all parties agree, forms a solid foundation for joint research projects to come.
