Driving forces for research and development in manufacturing technology
53 representatives from industrial companies and research institutes met at the OVGU in mid-June 2026 for a working group meeting on manufacturing technology organised by the Research Association for Drive Technology (FVA). They addressed and discussed current challenges relating to growing quality requirements and ever-increasing cost pressures within the framework of joint research projects. “We are delighted to have welcomed so many representatives from renowned industrial companies to the OVGU for this working group meeting. Direct exchange between industry and research is crucial for jointly identifying relevant research questions and working on them in a practice-oriented manner,” emphasised the host of the working group meeting, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Hackert-Oschätzchen, Head of the Chair of Manufacturing Technology with the Focus on Machining at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
In addition to discussing current topics, new project ideas were presented and the next steps towards finalising joint research and development projects were agreed upon. The working group meeting, organised by Dr.-Ing. Martin Beutner from the faculty’s student workshop and Nils Paucke, a research assistant at the chair, provided both with an opportunity to announce the approval of their research project entitled ‘The Influence of Chip Surface Roughness in Gear Hobbing’.
At the end of the first day’s proceedings, participants were given a guided tour of the experimental facility in Building 12, during which the chair’s research topics and demonstrators were presented. A group dinner provided ample opportunity for professional discussion and networking.
First meeting held in Magdeburg
“The Manufacturing Technology Working Group provides key impetus for joint industrial research and identifies the topics on which we wish to work together in the coming years,” explained Dr Winkel, Chair of the Working Group. “I would like to thank the chair for hosting the event. It is wonderful that, after many years of successful collaboration, we were able to meet in Magdeburg for the first time,” he added. The working group meeting highlighted the importance of pre-competitive collaboration in order to further develop manufacturing processes in drive technology so that they are both more efficient and robust in terms of quality. The project ideas discussed are to be further developed in the coming months and translated into suitable collaboration and funding schemes.
TEXT: Nils Paucke