Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
© Fraunhofer IPT
Research Project "Glass4AutoFuture"
Thin glass: a key material for future automotive concepts
Components in the automotive industry should be as light as possible while maintaining high functional quality in order to keep vehicle weight and therefore energy consumption low. This applies not only to engine components, but also to interior and exterior components. Thin glass, which is only a few millimetres thick, offers many advantageous properties for the construction of such components: it is light, scratch-resistant, durable, easy to clean and ideal for functional surfaces with visual benefits. Thin glass therefore has great potential for the autonomous, connected and lightweight vehicles of the future.
Manufacturing complex geometries with high precision
In the "Glass4Auto" research project, a cost-effective production technology was developed for the mass production of thin glass components for future vehicle concepts. The goal of this new forming technology is to meet current and future automotive requirements by producing complex geometries with high dimensional accuracy and, if required, adding special functions through precise microstructures in a production-ready process.
Forming concepts for high value glass components
Non-isothermal molding processes are particularly suitable for the production of thin glass with complex geometries in large quantities: By using various forming concepts such as vacuum-assisted forming, press bending or deep drawing, large quantities - including functionalized components - can be produced in a comparatively short time. In non-isothermal molding, a heated glass preform is pressed between two mold halves at low temperatures. As part of the project, the partners developed several concepts for the production of thin glass components by non-isothermal molding for various automotive applications.
Simulation avoids molding defects
The particular challenge of non-isothermal molding of thin glass is the high susceptibility to defects such as breakage or severe deformation of the formed glass components.These are typically caused by temperature gradients and residual stresses. The project team used numerical simulations to optimize the forming process. As a result, the team was able to almost completely eliminate molding defects. The simulation tool developed in the project can be used, for example, to model heat transfer and material behavior during forming. The simulation can be used in the process development phase to speed up the production ramp-up by providing early indications of possible forming defects. This eliminates the need for time-consuming and costly trial-and-error experiments.
Method applicable to many other areas
At the end of the project, a holistic, non-isothermal forming process was developed for the production of thin glass components for automotive applications. The Fraunhofer IPT was responsible for the process development, while the simulation was developed jointly by the participating institutes of RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer IPT. In the final phase of the project, project partner Hauser Optik GmbH successfully tested and evaluated the manufacturing concepts in its production environment.
However, the advantages of the forming technology are not limited to the production of glass components for the automotive industry. The process can also be transferred to many other application areas, such as lighting or consumer electronics.
Project partners
Project coordinator:
- Fraunhofer IPT, Aachen, Germany
Project partners:
- Institute for Applied Mechanics at RWTH Aachen University (RWTH Aachen - IFAM), Aachen, Germany
- Institute for Heat and Mass Transfer at RWTH Aachen University (RWTH Aachen - WSA), Aachen, Germany
End-user:
- Hauser Optik GmbH, Solms, Germany
Associated partners:
- Grammer AG, Hardheim, Germany
- Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg, Germany
Publications from this project
| Jahr Year | Titel/Autor:in Title/Author | Publikationstyp Publication Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Surrogate Modeling for Multi-Objective Optimization in the High-Precision Production of LiDAR Glass Optics Vu, Anh Tuan; Paria, Hamidreza; Grunwald, Tim; Bergs, Thomas |
Vortrag Presentation |
| 2024 | Surrogate modeling for multi-objective optimization in the high-precision production of LiDAR glass optics Vu, Anh Tuan; Paria, Hamidreza; Grunwald, Tim; Bergs, Thomas |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
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