AMAG supports additive manufacturing research at Graz University of Technology with high-tech plant

• AMAG active in component production for 1.5 years following acquisition
• Today's AMAG components is a specialist in mechanical processing and has been researching additive manufacturing since 2018/19
• Donation of a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing system to TU Graz to promote research and education
• Contract for donation signed at TU Graz on the 15th of March 2022

AMAG, Austria's largest aluminum producer and processor, entered the aerospace component manufacturing business through acquisition one and a half years ago. AMAG components, which was recently acquired in its entirety and has sites in Übersee am Chiemsee and Karlsruhe, is a proven specialist in the mechanical processing of aluminum and titanium components. Since 2018/19, AMAG components has been involved in additive manufacturing for titanium structural components for the aerospace industry - in research through to demonstration parts. Using the so-called WAAM process - Wire-Arc-Additive-Manufacturing (wire buildup welding) - components (examples are shown in Figs. 2 and 3) are built up layer by layer and then given their final shape by mechanical processing.

 

Graz University of Technology operates an additive manufacturing laboratory headed by Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Franz Haas (Head of the Institute of Production Engineering) and Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Christof Sommitsch (Head of the Institute of Materials Science, Joining and Forming). Both professors are members of AMAG's Scientific Advisory Board, a body that advises AMAG on R&D strategy and project selection, and is also a link to university research and training.

 

In order to strengthen cooperation and promote research and training in the field of additive manufacturing, AMAG is now donating a state-of-the-art facility from the inventory of AMAG components in Übersee am Chiemsee to Graz University of Technology. In doing so, AMAG is also once again highlighting the great importance of innovation and cutting-edge research, as well as training, in the field of metallurgy in Austria.

 

The plant, which has a value of around EUR 800,000 when new, was last used at AMAG components for research and the production of demonstration parts made of titanium. In the university environment, insights into material behavior and the achievable properties of the components produced from different materials (e.g. also aluminum) are now to be gained by incorporating the expertise of the two participating institutes. This will provide students with a state-of-the-art industrial tool for their training.

 

On 15.3.2022 at the TU Graz in the presence of Rector Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Dr.h.c.mult. Harald Kainz as well as Professors Franz Haas and Christof Sommitsch and Priv.-Doz. Dr. Helmut Kaufmann, AMAG's Chief Technology Officer, signed the donation agreement.

 

"For AMAG, innovation is an essential pillar of the corporate strategy. Accompanying this, the training of experts and thus cooperation with top universities is particularly important for us. We have been cooperating successfully with Graz University of Technology for years in research into innovative production technology and materials development for light metals, and intend to continue to drive this forward. The training of  up-and-coming scientists in the area of production technology is a major concern for us, not least because AMAG wants to continue to grow in the area of component production, and needs competent employees to do so," says Helmut Kaufmann, AMAG Austria Metall AG's Chief Technology Officer.

 

"Researchers and students alike benefit from our cooperation with AMAG and the new high-tech facility. They find a high-performance, state-of-the-art research environment and can quickly and purposefully link their studies and research with business-specific requirements of the industry. The young technical talent at TU Graz is directly integrated into ongoing research projects and is thus prepared in the best possible way for jobs and careers in industry and business," says TU Graz Rector Harald Kainz, pleased with this generous donation.

 

"The cooperation with AMAG and the donation of this facility is a clear sign of appreciation for our work and achievements. The timing of the donation is particularly appropriate, as we are holding a major international conference on the subject of 'additive manufacturing' at Graz University of Technology in the fall, where we also intend to present the new plant," concludes Franz Haas, Head of the Institute of Production Engineering at Graz University of Technology.