Georg Wagner has been teaching at the “Institute for Applied Production Sciences” for over 20 years and is now its director. Today, he shares with us his personal insights into the world of production technology, which he finds particularly fascinating due to its interdisciplinary nature.
Hardly any other technology combines expertise and knowledge from different disciplines such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, computer science and business administration so comprehensively. He is also fascinated by the variety of applications, which range from the automotive industry to electronics and food production, and that hardly any other subject is so directly linked to practice.
Yesterday: The biggest challenges in production technology in recent years
The biggest challenges of recent years are closely linked to global crises and the resulting measures.
First and foremost is the Covid-19 pandemic, which has now almost been forgotten. This has drastically demonstrated the vulnerability of global supply chains.
The second major challenge in the field of production technology is the rapid development in the areas of automation and digitalization. These technologies have revolutionized many production processes, but seamless integration into existing systems is a complex undertaking.
I see the third major challenge, which also represents a huge opportunity for European industry, as all measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in production. It requires innovative approaches and technologies in order to produce more sustainably.
Today: The most impressive final theses of the graduates
The work of Sebastian Dufek deserves special mention. With his work “Design of Experiments and Process Optimization of the Spacer Structure of a Smart Power Technology”, he has developed an extremely innovative approach to process optimization at Infineon Technologies Austria AG, which enables production waste to be reduced by almost half.
Equally impressive is the work of Johannes Murg, who worked on a system for measuring brake wear emissions that closed the knowledge gap between the laboratory brake test bench and road testing, and Kevin Kopfschlägl, who researched concepts for the sustainable use of fermentation residues from the Gösser brewery’s biogas plant.
Tomorrow: You can look forward to these technical innovations
The possibilities arising from the further development of the digital twin are particularly exciting. The simulation of production processes in a virtual model makes it possible to analyze and optimize these processes without the use of equipment or raw materials!
