Institut für Industrielle Fertigung und Fabrikbetrieb IFF-Universität Stuttgart: Research for transformability in production

Research at the Institute of Industrial Manu­­facturing and Management (IFF) at the Uni­­versity of Stuttgart covers the fields of Industrial Manufacturing and Factory Management, including a separate re­­search group Digital Factory. On the one hand, the institute focuses on processes and methods for the manufacturing of parts and products. On the other hand, planning, implementing, the operation, disassembly or recycling of production systems is being studied, analysed and optimised through research.

Industrial Manufacturing. Various manu­­facturing processes are being further developed at the IFF. Examples are micro chipping, vacuum-supported vapour depo­sition, electroplating, industrial paint coating and additive manufacturing. To en­­­hance productivity in the area of micro chipping, the IFF designs processes for machine-integrated measuring technolo­gies, e-services and other ICT technologies, such as virtual reality, for visualisation of production processes along the work flow.

Factory Management. The research area of advanced Industrial Engineering (aIE) integrates work and process planning, this means classical industrial engineering, within models, methods and processes enhancing transformability. Research in the area of factory management is performed in the IFF Learning Factory for aIE, which is also available for further trainings of engineers and managers from indus­­try. The research group especially works in the fields of work and process planning, digital methods and tools for factory and process planning, technology management and the design of process and ramp-up organisation.

Beyond that, the joint group Digital Factory from the IFF and Fraunhofer IPA designs systems and applications for digital production. Both basic research and application-oriented research for the integrated development of products, factories and processes is performed here. The group develops methods, processes and tools for modeling, simulation, optimisation and visualisation of products and factories.

The classes and lectures at the IFF are internationally orientated and they address students in the fields of mechanical engineering and technical economics. The Graduate School of Excellence advanced Manufacturing Engineering (GSaME) provides diploma and master graduates with top-class knowledge. Within only four years, the doctoral candidates are guided through a dual doctoral programme, com­­bining research and study at the university with practical phases in industry. The IFF Learning Factory for aIE offers further trainings for engineers, planners and managers from industry.