Overview

The Department of Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering (MB) was established in 1982 as the “Institute of Manufacturing Technology” and has since developed rapidly into a nationally and internationally renowned research institution and a highly qualified partner for companies interested in technological expertise and knowledge transfer.

The department has successfully applied for and carried out several Collaborative Research Centers, for example the SFB 356 »Production Systems in Electronics« and the SFB 396 »Robust, shortened process chains for lightweight panels«. In the field of teaching, the successful completion of the Mechanical Engineering degree program was completed with interdisciplinary and international degree programs such as Industrial Engineering, Mechatronics and International Production Engineering and Management.


The department consists of 11 institutes and about 400 members of staff. It is involved in five degree programs and has about 3 000  students. The main research focus of the department is on developing techniques and technology in emerging research areas within the field of mechanical engineering.

In research, the department focuses on methods and technology development in future-oriented areas of mechanical engineering. The department is characterized by a professional profiling within the areas of production technology and product development. The focus is on metal forming, plastics technology, factory automation, production metrology, quality management, photonic technologies, integrated product development, modeling and simulation. The amount of third-party funds raised has increased steadily in recent years and comprises about  € 20 million per year. The department’s outstanding performance and international visibility continue to be demonstrated by its involvement in excellence programs such as the Cluster of Excellence Engineering of Advanced Materials and the Graduate School of Advanced Optical Technologies, which is chaired by the Department of Mechanical Engineering from the Collaborative Research Center SFB 814 »Additive Manufacturing« and the Transregios SFB / TR 73 »Sheet Metal Forming« as well as participation in the SFB / TR 39 »PT-PIESA«.

 

Future Prospects
Prospective topics arise from the claim to make a lasting contribution to the challenges of our society. In accordance with the key areas of the faculty of engineering and the FAU, the department has identified key areas in mobility, health and production technology. This results in the following three future research areas:

  1. Medical technology: In cooperation with the Medical Faculty, processes for the production of modern medical technology and its products such as individually manufactured implants and prostheses are being developed.
  2. Urban Mobility: In the face of increasing urbanization, intelligent, automated and environmentally friendly transport systems and their components are being developed for future transport technology. Focal points of this work are, for example, new mobility concepts, lightweight construction as well as resource and energy efficiency.
  3. Production technology: As part of »Industry 4.0«, new intelligent and flexible mechatronic production processes and processes in general are being developed, for example through additive manufacturing.