Helping companies achieve greater resilience and security, while at the same time contributing to meeting global emissions and climate targets, is the goal of the renowned Aachen Conference on Production Technology. The guiding theme of AWK'23, »Empower Green Production«, represents the efforts of the Aachen researchers led by the team of professors Robert Schmitt, Thomas Bergs, Christian Brecher and Günther Schuh to support industry in the urgently needed transformation towards green production.

Hybrid information hub for production technology trends

The AWK is both a network meeting and an information hub and is organized by the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL at RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer IPT.  Accompanied by an international top-class lecture program and with thematic sightseeing tours through the hosting research institutions, the conference will again offer a comprehensive insight into the trends of applied research and development for specialists and executives from industry and science in May 2023.

Experience cutting-edge research – on-site and digitally

Part of the diverse program are the theme tours, where Fraunhofer FFB also presents its research results. The theme tour 7 deals with digitalization for sustainable production. Here, Fraunhofer FFB presents the digital twin in battery cell production and the associated possibilities of digital factory and production planning.

The second thematic tour with Fraunhofer FFB participation, number eight, deals with the next generation of drive systems. As part of this, Fraunhofer FFB will use a 3D model to present its facilities at the »PreFab«, which is currently under construction, and provide information about its expertise and wide-ranging portfolio of services.  At both booths, experts and interested parties will have the opportunity to talk to our employees about the latest developments at Fraunhofer FFB.

On-site lecture sessions

In addition, in two times two parallel lecture sessions, participants can learn first-hand about the results of applied research and practical implementation in production. To this end, interdisciplinary speakers from science, development and management from leading companies in various sectors have been invited to work together in expert working groups on the lecture topics.

The four thematic blocks each comprise several presentations on efficient, readily available and resilient data infrastructures, on technologies and processes for a functioning circular economy, on model building and analyses with the aim of resource-saving production, and on scenarios and business models for sustainable value creation.

Hybrid event format remains

In addition to the usual face-to-face event, the 31st AWK at the Eurogress in Aachen will once again feature a digital broadcast of large parts of the event program, supplemented for the first time by additional exclusive program items and networking formats specifically for online participants.

In addition, the theme tours and further information on the Fraunhofer FFB will also be available to all participants in this way. The use of a globally available online platform ensures that not only the participants on site in Aachen, but also an international audience of experts can attend the event in a sustainable way.