"Day of German Purity"

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On October 4th, the day after German Unity Day, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation IPA in Stuttgart celebrated its very special "Day of German Purity" together with around 80 invited guests: On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Reinst- and Microproduction Department, speakers and industry experts looked back together on the department's history. More than the admittedly impressive history, however, the future potentials of this innovative specialized department, illuminated in various fields, fascinated the audience.

To welcome the guests and as an introduction to the packed day's program, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Bauernhansl, Director of the Fraunhofer IPA, provided a concise overview of his institute. Located in the Fraunhofer Institute Center in Stuttgart and part of the Institute for Industrial Manufacturing and Automation IFF, the IPA has existed since 1959 and, according to Dr. Bauernhansl, is now one of the largest institutes of the Fraunhofer Society. With more than 1,000 employees, equipped with a budget of around €70 million, working on over 1,000 projects per year, the IPA "actually makes money." The success of these projects is also reflected in the fact that currently ten project teams are planning their spin-off as startups in high-tech markets.

Dr. Bauernhansl was particularly proud of his institute's international networking, describing its role as a technology advisor and innovation driver, with external offices and subsidiary institutes in Germany, Austria, and Hungary, as well as a project center in Kansai, Japan. About one-third of all projects are handled outside Germany. He also highlighted the practiced networking between science and industry. This ensures a continuous growth path from teaching, research, development, realization, and application, as well as the transfer of experience back from industry. Transitioning to the Reinst- and Microproduction Department, a key business area and the day's anniversary, Bauernhansl proudly announced: "We have the purest cleanrooms in the world." At the same time, the institute director expressed his special thanks to the employees—both current and former—without whom the success of the past 30 years would not have been possible.

From "General Store" to Purity Technology Research Center

With a rapid overview of 30 years, Dr. Udo Gommel, Head of the Reinst- and Microproduction Department, first presented the history of his "store." Established in 1986 through a BMFT inquiry to Fraunhofer IPA for a study on the state of the art and trends in automation in the semiconductor industry, the department, in his words, has developed from a "general store" into a purity technology research center. From the small testing cleanroom for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which was set up under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schmutz at the time, it has meanwhile evolved into an internationally renowned testing center for purity technology with unique clean and analysis laboratories worldwide.
Not only physically but also thematically, the department has significantly developed and is active today in nearly all industrial sectors such as automotive, machinery and plant engineering, medical and biotech, as well as aerospace. Throughout, it has remained true to the original challenge of purity technology with its broad facets—from cleanroom planning, ultraprecision cleaning, manufacturing equipment construction, cleanliness-appropriate automation, to micromounting. Of course, there have been enormous challenges over the years, such as the collapse of the semiconductor industry in 1992 or the global economic crisis in 2009. Dr. Gommel, who has led the department since 2008, particularly highlighted the successful expansion of topics and the opportunities utilized. He was especially enthusiastic about future potentials, such as in the Lab MACH1 area, with the recently acquired strategic project partner OHB System AG from 2016 until probably 2021, and the live I4.0 networking of the purity-appropriate production process. But that’s not all: Gommel emphasized that almost all relevant future fields can be realized primarily through purity technology. Increasingly, industries have a rising need for cleanliness, and the purity of products is becoming ever more critical. Using a high-tech manufacturing example in OLED production and an example from spaceflight, he demonstrated how important it is to avoid contamination risks and outgassing. After all, nobody probably wants to find life on Mars that was brought from Earth.

Following his presentation of the five core competencies of his department:
– Purity-specific automation systems
– Purity technology
– Digital printing technology and additive manufacturing
– Precision assembly and application techniques, and
– Purity technology systems and components
Dr. Gommel directed his audience toward the future over a period of 30+ years. He sees the main growth impulses coming from expanding industry proximity, process-specific solutions, the Demo Center for I4.0 cleanroom applications, and strategic partnerships such as with OHB.

"Man in Black" Ensures Planetary Safety Through Purity

Dr. Gerhard Kminek from the European Space Agency ESA emphasized in his lecture the importance of developing standards to prevent contamination during interstellar missions. As he explained, this applies both to the journey of spacecraft and measuring instruments to distant planets, as it must be ensured that no organic material from Earth is brought to other planets. Likewise, during the return journey of probes and material samples from space missions, it could be crucial that the samples pose no danger to humans or the environment. Part of his presentation focused on the ExoMars Schiaparelli lander, which was close to landing on Mars at that time but, as we now know, exploded.

The presentation then continued with representatives from OHB System AG, Boris Penné and Dr. Axel Reimer Müller, who introduced their company as the first publicly traded technology and spaceflight corporation, presenting the two divisions Space Systems and Aerospace + Industrial Products. Purity in spaceflight is the company's core competence, which had brought a prototype of a mobile cleanroom in the form of a tent for visitors to see. The strategic partnership between Fraunhofer IPA and OHB is planned for at least five years.

Fragmentation and Photodynamic Action

Following that, Carsten Moschner from dastex Cleanroom Equipment GmbH & Co KG took the microphone to present the challenges of cleanroom fabrics. He showcased, as examples, the photodynamic disinfection process developed in collaboration with partners and the development of a cleanroom-compatible shatterproof suit.

Andreas Großmann from Daimler AG spoke about a somewhat less "clean" topic: technical cleanliness in automotive. He took the audience on a time travel from around 1990, when component cleaning systems were considered a waste of space, to today, where cleaning is a value-adding process and part cleanliness is a quality feature in automobile manufacturing. It also became clear that further performance increases in engines cannot be achieved without increasing production cleanliness.

Volker Lehmann from UCM AG, part of the Dürr-Ecoclean Group, concluded by discussing cleanliness requirements in fine cleaning, providing an overview from yesterday to tomorrow. Afterwards, participants donned green plastic shoe covers for a tour through the cleanroom zone, visiting laboratories, test fields, and exhibits previously described by the speakers. During the subsequent get-together and winding down, lively discussions and networking took place, as contacts are simply essential in this specialized industry.