Technische Universität Dresden

Hub International Partner Lead Academic: Professor Maik Gude

The Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at the Technische Universität Dresden (Faculties of Mechanical Science and Engineering and Transport Technologies Sciences) is the internationally acknowledged institute for research, development and student training in the area of function-integrative system lightweight engineering in multi-material design. The ILK has been active in research for over 20 years, and is embedded within the business and science hub Dresden which provides optimum conditions for innovative and pioneering research and development. The annual conference Dresdner Leichtbausymposium, which is hosted by the ILK in June every year, has become established as a well-known meeting point all over the lightweight structures engineering industry.

Approximately 240 members of staff conduct comprehensive research and development projects in the field of resource-saving lightweight construction with high material and energy efficiency. Work at ILK is shaped by the Dresden model of “function-integrative system lightweight engineering in multi-material design” and is based on a cross-materials and cross-product approach. In the development of new concepts, processes and products, our scientists consider the entire development chain: material – construction – simulation – production – prototype testing – quality assurance – costs.
Beyond this, the ILK aims at developing design rules and optimization criteria for lightweight components, especially for high-performance purposes. Here, a special focus is set on multi-material design. For the calculation and simulation of lightweight structures under static and dynamic (crash) loads, specially developed software tools based on analytical methods are applied as well as commercially available FEA software systems.

Another major research area of the ILK is the development of innovative material concepts with high lightweight potential (e. g. textile-reinforced composites, hybrid composites, metal matrix composites) substantiated with appropriate strategies for design and engineering.

The ILK is officially recognized as an institution for testing, monitoring and certifying by the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt), Berlin, in the field of plastic components.

Education at the ILK addresses students of mechanical engineering, transport sciences and engineering economics.

For more information about training, research, and capabilities, visit their website.

Technische Universität Dresden