Polymer Technologies (LKT)

The Plastics Engineering Laboratory is equipped with a large variety of modern production equipment, as well as state-of-the-art testing and analytical equipment to make the teaching as realistic as possible, enable applied research to be conducted and successfully carry out collaborative projects with industry. The focus here is particularly on interdisciplinary work.

An overview of the equipment:

for plastics processing:

• ZSE18 twin-screw extruder from Leistritz Extrusionstechnik
• Arburg Allrounder 420 C injection moulding machine with 1,300 kN clamping force
• Arburg Allrounder 420C 2-component injection moulding machine with 1,000 kN
  clamping force
• Demag IntElect 80/310 injection moulding machine with 800 kN clamping force
• IDE tube profile extrusion machine with 45 mm screw diameter
• Hesta-Graham extrusion blow moulding machine for component volumes up to 750 ccm max.
• ILLIG thermoforming machine, max. pressure box size 680 x 500 mm
• Thermosetting press with 600 kN clamping force
• Telsonic ultrasonic welder with 750 N contact force
• FLIR infrared thermal imaging video system
• Infrarot Thermo-Video-System FLIR

for mechanical tests:

• Zwick universal testing machine, test force max. 10 kN and tempering chamber for temperatures up to 150°C max.
• Notched bar pendulum impact tester for Charpy and Izod, test energy max. 50 J
• Hardness testing: ball indentation test, Shore A and D (Frank, Zwick)
• Determination of VICAT softening temperature in air (Frank)

for viscosity measurements:

• Determination of the MVR and MFR Melt Flow Index (Göttfert)
• Determination of the length of the flow spiral under injection moulding conditions

for thermal analysis:

• Dynamic heat-flux differential scanning calorimeter (Netzsch-DSC 200) with low temperature add-on
• Determination of the ignition residue

for CAD/CAE simulation

• Injection moulding simulation with AUTODESK MOLDFLOW AMI 2016
• Ansys Workbench
• Creo / Siemens NX
• GaBi – LCA software

for microscopic analyses:

• Reflected and transmitted light microscope (up to 150 x) with digital image analysis (Olympus)
• Motorised rotary microtome (Leica)

for FT-IR spectrometer analyses:

• Bruker Alpha-P infrared spectrometer with ATR accessory

Other equipment at the university:

• Zeiss Accura coordinate measurement machine
• Steinbichler structured light scanner
• Scanning electron microscope
• Dynamic testing machines

The laboratory exercises accompany and enhance the lectures in materials engineering and plastics processing. More detailed information can be found in the corresponding module descriptions of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

The focus is on:

MBB1:

• Materials engineering - Plastics
• Production engineering

MBB6:

• Application-oriented module in polymer engineering: design of injection moulding dies
• Production methods, plastics technology

RMM1:

• Lightweight construction materials – composites
• Production methods - Plastics

RMM2:

• Agile project workshop
• Sustainability / Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

DDM2:

• Product Life Cycle Management with LCA specialisation
• Composites

Students gain practical experience in the following four laboratories:

• Production Engineering Laboratory (semester 1)
• Materials Engineering Laboratory 1 (semester 1 or 2)
• Plastics Processing Laboratory (semester 6)
• Plastics Engineering Laboratory (semester 2 Faculty of Automotive Engineering)