Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAMThe extra-occupational training courses offered at Fraunhofer IFAM in the fields of adhesive bonding technology and fiber composites are becoming increasingly international. Prof. Dr. Andreas Groß, head of the department »Workforce Qualification and Technology Transfer« at Fraunhofer IFAM, gives an insight into the internationalisation of both training centres. He also discusses the role of the European Welding Federation (EWF) in this and presents the changes in international, national and European standards.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Groß, how do you see the development of the internationalisation of the training centres at Fraunhofer IFAM?
Internationalization will increase, especially in the Training Center for Adhesive Bonding Technology. This is a trend that we have already noticed in recent years and which will continue in the future. The main reasons for this are that, first of all, word of the training courses on offer is spreading internationally and, as a result, is becoming better known. OEMs, i.e. Original Equipment Manufacturers, who are globally active, are introducing more and more adhesive bonding technology training, also due to standards. This then also affects their suppliers, who are motivated by them to also qualify their employees in adhesive bonding technology. In addition, Dr. Erik Meiß, as head of the Training center for Adhesive Bonding Technology, has succeeded in building up a network of contractually committed cooperation partners on an international level. Our cooperation partners work according to our quality specifications so that all participants can be sure that the content and quality are comparable worldwide. Another reason for the increasing internationalisation is our development and introduction of online training courses in blended learning format. These are identical in content to the face-to-face courses, but their online components enable participants to learn independently of time and place, which significantly reduces their travel expenses.
At the Training Center for Fiber Composites, the courses are still predominantly national. However, the frequency of courses and the number of participants are developing so positively that in the medium term the courses here can also be offered internationally. Stefan Simon, head of the Training Center for Fiber Composites, has already succeeded in winning a Chinese cooperation partner. Similar to the cooperation partners of the Training Center for Adhesive Bonding Technology, this partner regularly runs the composite courses for the execution and supervision level in Chinese for the Chinese market.
Are there certain standards that are particularly worth mentioning in connection with the internationalization of the trainings offered by Fraunhofer IFAM?
DIN 6701 (Rail Vehicle Construction) and DIN 2304 (General Industry) are the standards currently in force, along with TL A-0023 (Bundeswehr). Although they are national standards, they have long had an international impact. About 60% of all 1,050 companies certified according to these standards are already foreign companies outside Germany. In addition, the revised version of ISO 21368 (General Industry) was published in March 2022. Due to its revision, the content of DIN 2304 has been merged into it. The next step is now to convert ISO 21368 into EN ISO 21368. At the same time, DIN 6701 (Railway Vehicle Construction) will be transferred to EN 17460 and is expected to be published in September 2022. The adhesive bonding technology qualification of employees is normatively anchored in all the documents mentioned. Both show that the internationalisation of adhesive bonding technology personnel qualification will continue to progress.
In the Training Center for Fiber Composites, Stefan Simon has succeeded in installing a working group of industrial members, which is working out the DIN SPECIFICATION »Quality Requirements for Composite Processes« under his leadership. The preparatory work has progressed so far that the official DIN procedure can be applied for and started at the beginning of 2023, so that the DIN SPEC will be published at the end of 2023 as the first document of its kind worldwide. This document will thus follow the same path as the adhesive bonding standards. Here, too, personnel qualification is laid down as a binding core element of this DIN SPEC.
What role does the »Circular Economy« study play, also with reference to a comparison between Germany and other countries?
Since this year, the topic of the Fraunhofer IFAM study »Circular Economy and Adhesive Bonding Technology« has been included in the EWF-European Adhesive Engineer - EAE qualification in the national and international courses as part of a pilot project. We are evaluating the feedback from the participants. These are consistently positive. Therefore, Dr. Erik Meiß as Chairman of the responsible EWF Working Group »Adhesive Bonding« will motivate the working group members to include the topic in the EWF training guidelines at the next available opportunity.
The topic of »Circular Economy« has been integrated into the Composite Engineer course of the Training Center for Fiber Composites from the very beginning.
Prof. Dr Groß, thank you for the interview.