Claudia Müller hands over funding decision
Federal Maritime Coordinator Claudia Müller hands over funding decision for technology research project to Ostseestaal
Stralsund, August 2022 - The Federal Government Coordinator for Maritime Economy and Tourism, Claudia Müller, handed over a funding decision for a technology research project to Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG in Stralsund on Thursday, 18 August 2022.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection is supporting the ambitious project „Digitalisation of cold plastic forming through continuous quality control“ with around 1.3 million euros as part of its Maritime Research Programme. Ostseestaal, which specialises in the 3D cold forming of sheet steel, is collaborating on this project with MSR Service GmbH, the University of Rostock and the Fraunhofer Institutes for Large Structures in Production Engineering IGP and for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Rostock, among others.
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The future can only lie in modern workshops with the help of digital support.
„As an innovative company, we have been cooperating closely with research institutions for many years, helping us to transfer the latest scientific and technical findings quickly and practically into production,“ emphasises Maximilian Müller, Head of Development at Ostseestaal. „Modern production technologies are a crucial strategic element in order to remain competitive in the market in the future.“
The steel sheets formed three-dimensionally at Ostseestaal are primarily intended for the maritime industry and are also used in mould construction, for example in the aviation industry, the wind energy sector and for outstanding architectural projects. To date, the sophisticated structures have been produced using 500-tonne presses that are controlled manually by experienced formers.
Various materials such as steel, stainless steel, aluminium and special alloys up to five centimetres thick are processed. The funded research project aims to inspect the surface of the sheet metal using sensors and to digitally record the forming process in 3D format so that manual intervention in the process can be reduced. Ostseestaal has taken on the task of developing and testing digitalised methods that enable an accelerated data flow and efficient evaluation of the information. The aim is to generate a holistic digital process flow.
„At Ostseestaal, we have always thought one step ahead and have been able to successfully position ourselves in markets that were not yet visible to others. The future can only lie in modern workshops with the help of digital support,“ emphasises Philipp Peuß, Marketing Manager at Ostseestaal.
These interventions greatly reduce the time previously required for manual inspection of the forming process. As a result, the service life of the presses can be reduced by around 35 per cent and the maximum possible material throughput of the machines increased by 35 per cent. The digitalised production chain in 3D cold forming can also form a basis for big data analyses for further process optimisation in other areas of the company.
Ostseestaal currently employs around 200 people. Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG specialises in the manufacture and supply of customised kits made from cut-to-size and three-dimensionally formed sheet metal. Materials of the highest quality such as steel, stainless steel, aluminium and special alloys are processed. Ostseestaal is active on the global market for shipbuilding, industry, renewable energies and architectural projects and supplies products worldwide on a turnkey basis. The Stralsund-based company has the expertise for the technical planning and structural realisation of innovative and customer-specific projects.