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The prototype kilogram – to which all scales are calibrated to – is losing weight. International efforts are striving to redefine the base unit for measuring mass and, in future, redefine the kilogram on natural constants. For this purpose, the Avogadro experiment determines the number of atoms in almost perfect silicon spheres. Fraunhofer researchers have recently succeeded in homogeneously coating the spherical surfaces – the measurement uncertainty can be limited to a range below 10 micrograms.

Microparticles and nanoparticles form the basis of many innovative applications and technologies, including what is known as cold plasma spraying, due to their large specific surface. What makes the innovative process developed at the Fraunhofer IST special is that a broad range of different materials can be treated and a variety of layer functions can be realized at the same time.

Cost-effective plastics are used for many medical disposable products. Often they do not only have to be biocompatible but also require defined surface characteristics or need to be functionalized for the subsequent coupling of biomolecules. Atmospheric pressure plasma processes such as those used and developed at the Fraunhofer IST offer a variety of possibilities for changing the physical or chemical characteristics of surfaces so that they can be used for biomedical applications.

Plasmas are often found in the center of stars – on Earth, the electrically charged gas mixtures are a rare occurrence, such as in lightning discharges or aurora borealis lights. However, you can provide some help with high heat or high electrical voltages. Fraunhofer researchers have produced cold plasmas and used them for the surface treatment of temperature-sensitive materials. In doing so, recesses or undercuts were no longer a problem, thanks to a new technology – the Disc Jet can reach everywhere.

3D-printed biocompatible support structures known as scaffolds play an important role in the field of regenerative medicine. They serve as the basis, for example, for producing biological tissue intended to support wound healing or minimize the risk of postoperative infection. Together with seven project partners, the Fraunhofer IST is currently working on an advance in 3D printing that will allow for greater time and cost efficiency in producing the scaffolds while at the same time functionalizing them through atmospheric pressure plasma processes.

Precise and reliable weather forecasts can save human lives and help to alleviate the worldwide effects of weather disasters. That is why MetOp-SG, Europe’s second generation of weather satellites, is being equipped with various innovative, high-performance research instruments. For example, an improved and highly sensitive radiometer is to be used in the future to measure terrestrial microwave radiation in order to determine air temperatures and water vapor concentrations at different elevations. The Fraunhofer IST is participating in this development along with Airbus DS and Invent GmbH.

The requirements for production of the future keep increasing in the age of Industry 4.0: Processes have to be flexible, intelligently networked, and effective. Production facilities must be safe and intuitive to operate while simultaneously using resources efficiently. Against this background, there have been frequent demands in recent years for a further development of the sensor technology that is responsible for measurement data. This is intended to generate the measurement data where measuring systems can only be integrated with difficulty, for instance in direct contact between a work piece and tool.

In many areas of manufacturing such as in mechanical engineering or in the tool industry the demands are growing: Everything has to be carried out as quickly and precisely as possible. Often so-called micro abrasive pencils are used, which can produce extremely fine structures or precisely drill tiny holes. Conventional micro abrasive pencils are usually restricted to diameters above 0.2 millimeters and grain sizes larger than 20 μm. However, many manufacturing tasks are affording smaller diameters and finer grain sizes. At the Fraunhofer IST, innovative CVD diamond grinding pencils with a diameter of 0.05 millimeters have been developed.

Many components from the automotive industry, tool sector and mechanical engineering are subjected to high loads by e. g. friction and wear every day. DLC (diamond like carbon) coatings can increase service life and load capacity of such and reduce friction losses. For instance, the fuel consumption can be lowered significantly by coating different motor components such as crankshafts or bucket tappets.

The fact that the plasma technology is a cross-sectional technology which can be used in almost any field makes it that fascinating, said the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil during his visit of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Goettingen (HAWK). At the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology as well as the Application Center for Plasma and Photonics, located at the Zieten Terraces in Göttingen, he stressed how unusual it was that an University of Applied Sciences has developed such a research strength. ”We will continue to support this as a federal state,” explained Weil.