The Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Thomas Ritz, affirmed that the Digital Twin is a very convincing example of how digitization can be used in business. The understanding of digitization has changed in recent years – it is now less about describing actual conditions and more about predictions and projections. This is particularly important at a time when political, economic and scientific processes are highly dynamic. Together with the companies, the researchers at the FH Aachen developed application-oriented solutions in this area.

Peter Kayser, managing partner of Carl KRAFFT & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG, reported on his company’s collaboration with the IaAM. Krafft is a medium-sized company from Düren that specializes in the production of rollers. Kayser emphasized that it is difficult for a company of this size to implement digitization projects on its own. Only through cooperation with the university, he said, is it possible to manage these complex processes. „We are a classic mechanical engineering company, but now we are also a provider of hardware and software,“ Kayser said. For example, he said, the rollers are now equipped with sensors to ensure the best possible function.

The head of the IaAM, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Wollert, emphasized that the IaAM’s task is to give digitalization in mechanical engineering a face. He added that the institute is available to all small and medium-sized companies as a point of contact for bundling digital processes and viewing them from a holistic perspective.

Together with project manager Jessica Ulmer and the IaAM team, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Wollert presented  application areas in which industry 4.0 research is currently conducted in the model factory. The guests from industry had the opportunity to discuss their individual questions with the experts from FH Aachen. Additionally, the 20 Industry 4.0 summer school participants gained interesting insights into the world of the Digital Twins.

This event was organized in cooperation with AGIT and the project NRW.Innovationspartner by the Innovation Transfer of the FH Aachen. It was part of the Digital Twin Academy, which is supported by the Euregio Meuse-Rhine within the Interreg Va program.