Products of the Future

The 3D laboratory in the Mathematics Building is to move to the new research building IMoS on the east campus at Hertzallee/Fasanenstraße. Ben Jastram (l.) and Diemar Göhlich in front of one of the large 3D printers.

Additive manufacturing via 3D printing is now used in a variety of applications in automotive, aerospace, industry, and science.

Ben Jastram, Deputy Head of the 3D Printing Laboratory at TU Berlin, was already involved in the setup and has years of experience with the various large-format devices.

Components and other objects for additive manufacturing of products are now "printed" with high precision.

Both industry and research are focusing on the so-called "Additive Manufacturing," that is, the layer-by-layer production of components with 3D printers, as a central future topic. At TU Berlin, numerous departments are engaged with 3D technologies and methods of additive manufacturing. Therefore, on January 1, 2021, TU Berlin established the Central Facility for 3D Technologies, abbreviated as "ZE 3D-Tech." It aims to consolidate expertise and make TU Berlin's achievements in this field more visible. This was decided by the university's board of trustees on the initiative of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Göhlich, who represents the Department of Methods of Product Development and Mechatronics at TU Berlin.

The location of "ZE 3D-Tech" will be an area of 1,200 square meters in the new research building IMoS (Interdisciplinary Center for Modeling and Simulation), currently being constructed on TU Berlin's eastern grounds in Charlottenburg. With its state-of-the-art equipment, the new "ZE 3D-Tech" will provide services in the fields of 3D visualization, 3D scanning, and additive manufacturing. The new facility will not only be available for teaching and research across departments but will also be open to industry contracts.

The research of Additive Manufacturing and 3D Technologies is closely linked with three new professorships connected to Berlin's future site Siemensstadt 2.0

The core and foundation of the future central facility will be the existing 3D laboratory of TU Berlin's Institute of Mathematics, Faculty II - Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The management of ZE is to be associated with the professorship "Design for Additive Manufacturing," which is planned within the Werner-von-Siemens Centre for Industry and Science (WvSC), located at Berlin's future site Siemensstadt 2.0, and based at TU Berlin. This department will mainly research processes of product development and the optimization of components, including the use of artificial intelligence.

Two additional professorships, funded by the Berlin government and established at TU Berlin within the WvSC framework, are also closely linked to the theme of innovative manufacturing industry: The professorship "Materials for Additive Manufacturing," planned at the TU Institute for Materials Science and Technologies, will work on developing and optimizing new hybrid materials and researching composite structures. The professorship "Mathematical Modeling of Industrial Life Cycles," planned at TU Berlin's Institute of Mathematics, deals with modeling, analysis, and operation of so-called "digital twins" that simulate production facilities or products. All three appointment procedures are already underway.

Medicine, automotive industry, aerospace, consumer goods – 3D technology is already used in many fields

"It is unmistakable that the development is heading towards generative products; products that are manufactured without tools or molds, based solely on data directly from the 3D printer," explains Professor Dietmar Göhlich. "Additive manufacturing complements traditional methods such as casting, milling, or forging, especially in mechanical engineering and product manufacturing. With additive manufacturing, complex geometries can be produced on a single machine. However, key research questions for broad industrial application still need to be addressed."

3D printing is already being used in various applications, such as construction, aerospace, automotive manufacturing, consumer goods, and medicine. So far, the departments at TU Berlin working with these technologies and methods are spread across all faculties. The new central facility aims to connect them into a strategic alliance. "We expect ZE 3D-Tech to spark new interdisciplinary, cross-faculty projects that will also have regional and international appeal and visibility," explains Göhlich. "A research and teaching network 'Additive Manufacturing' already exists, and around 30 departments at TU Berlin have expressed interest in related activities."

The core is located in the former DFG Research Center "Matheon" – further state-of-the-art equipment planned

Already in 2003, TU Berlin's 3D laboratory was founded by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schwandt within the framework of the DFG Research Center "Matheon." It has extensive experience in application and technology, with qualified staff such as Dipl.-Ing. Ben Jastram, deputy head of the 3D laboratory. The lab features, among other equipment, a three-walled CAVE for interactive 3D projections, where virtual reality can be experienced. 3D printers, scanners, a nano-computer tomography device, CNC milling machines, and a comprehensive computing infrastructure for additive manufacturing complete the setup. Further large equipment is planned for "ZE 3D-Tech," financed with investment funds of around two million euros already allocated in the budget for the mentioned research building IMoS.

Further information:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Göhlich
TU Berlin
Faculty V - Transport and Machine Systems
Institute for Machine Design and System Technology
Department of Methods of Product Development and Mechatronics
Tel.: 030 314-23241
Email: dietmar.goehlich@tu-berlin.de