Composite Engineer

DIN 35255 defines standardised quality requirements for fibre composite plastic processes in companies.  The requirements for the qualification of composite specialists are now clearly defined for the first time.
The Composite Engineer is the appropriate qualification for composite supervisory personnel (CAP). This proof of qualification of specific knowledge is a prerequisite for managerial and supervisory activities to ensure the quality of fibre-reinforced plastics and applies across all industries. The Composite Engineer should be particularly active where clients or competent bodies require their deployment or where high demands are placed on the design of the FRP process and the structural design.

Since 2007, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM has been offering training courses in fiber reinforced composites (FRC). The present new course combines the expertise of the leading institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in the research field of lightweight construction in a modular training course to become a »Composite Engineer«. The course participants are trained on particular topics by scientists and engineers who are engaged in current, cutting-edge R&D work. This guarantees direct transfer of key knowledge and technology to industry.

Target groups are engineers and scientists in all disciplines and sectors of industry, and also qualified technical employees who either currently work with fiber composite materials or wish to do so in the future.

Participants for the »Composite Engineer« course must have either:

• successfully completed a professional qualification and have at least five years technical work experience
  or
• successfully completed an engineering or science course (Bachelor degree or higher) at a university or technical college.
  

The Composite Engineer training course qualifies people to supervise the whole life cycle of a fiber reinforced plastic product. This covers product development, manufacture, and repair and involves interdisciplinary thinking, evaluation, decision-making, and actions relating to effective usage of FRP technology.

The Composite Engineer is a modular online training course. The introductory Fundamental Module and four Basic Modules are compulsory. The participants then take four Specific Modules of their own choice. Specific Modules are concluded with a written examination. A certificate of attendance at the Basic Modules and successfully passed examinations for the Specific Modules are prerequisites for taking the final oral examination. The final oral examination is carried out in presence and preceded by a two-day revision session, the so-called Final Module. Passing the final oral examination results in the award of a certificate as »Composite Engineer«. Each module lasts five days with each day around 6h. The training course thus consists of 10 modules total of 240 hours. All modules can be booked individually and independently of the goal of obtaining the »Composite Engineer« certificate.