FutureCarProduction: New car-body concepts for sustainable vehicle construction

he Fraunhofer consortium for the “FutureCarProduction” project offers its customers and partners a comprehensive range of services combined with access to innovations in the fields of materials and recycling, manufacturing technologies, Life Cycle Engineering and the circular economy as well as quality assurance and testing technology.

We offer

• Analysis, processing and evaluation of aluminum alloys and components
• Development and evaluation of recycling and processing methods

Your added value

• Reduction of the CO₂ footprint by increasing the proportion of secondary aluminum in casting alloys whilst maintaining the same quality and performance
• Safety in use through reliable assessment of the performance capabilities
• Closing of loops as a result of mono-material scrap and modern processing technologies

We offer

• Development of new processes such as fusionCASTING, cast joining, and tool-free production of sheet metal structural components
• Innovative joining techniques for efficient car-body structures

Your added value

• Cost-effective and flexible production of complex and large-scale car-body components using existing machines – without gigacasting
• New design concepts and joining technologies for aluminum structures for lightweight construction
• Increased efficiency through shorter process chains and resource-conserving production processes

Wir bieten 

• Development of LCE platforms as well as LCA models and methods for holistic sustainability assessment
• Tool-based consulting and support for companies in the development and implementation of customized circular-economy solutions

Your addes value

• Substantiated ecological and economic assessments from the early stages of product development onwards
• Security with regard to regulatory requirements through support in CO₂-reporting and sustainability certificates
• Development of circular value-creation processes and business models
• Facilitation of the transformation to a circular economy through digital tools, professional support and strategic advice

We offer

• Development and integration of non-destructive in-line and at-line testing methods, such as RoboCT, to ensure the product quality of components of any size

Your added value

• Production-integrated non-destructive quality assurance of large car-body structures
• Minimization of rejects

Within the framework of the FutureCarProduction project, the Fraunhofer consortium offers practice-oriented and scientifically substantiated solutions for companies in order to implement sustainability with economic success.

Car manufacturers benefit in particular from regulatory security, increased efficiency and a clear image advantage as a result of sustainable production processes. The cooperation opens up the possibility for suppliers to position themselves as technology leaders in lightweight construction and to secure cost advantages through optimized materials and production technologies. Through the utilization of recyclates and sustainable production processes, foundries and die-casting manufacturers are able to open up completely new market segments.

All partners, from large industrial companies through to SMEs, can benefit from the collaboration – regardless of their sector – as they achieve measurable advantages through greater planning security, CO₂ transparency, and support in the development and implementation of a circular-economy strategy.

In the “FutureCarProduction” flagship project, eight Fraunhofer Institutes are pooling their expertise:

Sustainable product development and Life Cycle Assessment

Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST (coordinator) 

Fraunhofer IST (ist.fraunhofer.de)

Reliability and safety of car-body structures

Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF  

Fraunhofer LBF (lbf.fraunhofer.de)

Aluminum die-casting and fusionCASTING

Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM   

Fraunhofer IFAM (ifam.fraunhofer.de)

Resource-efficient foundry and recycling technologies

Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV   

Fraunhofer IGCV (igcv.fraunhofer.de)

Quality assurance and test engineering

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS / EZRT (Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT)   

Fraunhofer IIS (iis.fraunhofer.de)

Digitalization and circular-economy strategies

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS / SCS (Working Group for Supply Chain Services of the Fraunhofer IIS)   

Fraunhofer SCS (scs.fraunhofer.de)

Mechanics of materials and simulation

Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM

Fraunhofer IWM (iwm.fraunhofer.de)

Material and joining technologies for lightweight construction

Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS

Fraunhofer IWS (iws.fraunhofer.de)

Sustainable manufacturing processes and lightweight-construction concepts

Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU

Fraunhofer IWU (iwu.fraunhofer.de)

The members of the Fraunhofer consortium “FutureCarProduction” present their research results at numerous events, conferences and trade fairs. The presentations can be found in the respective announcements. Please do not hesitate to contact us.