The existing Fiber Reinforced Plastic Remanufacturer course is being augmented by a one-week Fiber Reinforced Plastic Fabricator course (starter level) and a three-week Fiber Reinforced Plastic Specialist course (advanced level). The new state-of-the-art facilities of the Plastics Competence Center are now available for all the practical sessions and are situated in the direct vicinity of Fraunhofer IFAM.
The institute will also present details of its training courses in adhesive bonding technology at Composites Europe (Hall 6, Stand A02) in Stuttgart from September 17-19, 2013.
The growing importance of lightweight construction is resulting in fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs) being used for an ever greater number of applications. As a consequence, the demands on employee skills are increasing. To respond to this, the Plastics Competence Center of Fraunhofer IFAM is expanding its range of training courses in the area of fiber reinforced plastics.
Moreover, the course contents will be even more customized to the needs of the participants. "The focus will be on how to manufacture quality FRP materials and how to carry our repairs. FRPs are being increasingly used for lightweight construction. Precise knowledge of how to manufacture and use FRPs in practice is vital here. A trained workforce is a must in order to efficiently utilize the potential of FRPs.", says Dr. Silke Mai, Head of the Plastics Competence Center of Fraunhofer IFAM. "We teach the course participants about the functions of the materials and how to handle them during the manufacturing process. These factors have a key influence on the subsequent properties of the components as do the boundary conditions of the manufacturing process."
The various courses provide information about laminate structure and component geometry and highlight the special features of these materials. Each course contains in-depth practical sessions to consolidate the theoretical knowledge. This develops familiarity with FRPs and allows sources of defects to be identified at an early stage and, moreover, avoided in advance.
Fiber Reinforced Plastic Fabricator
This one-week course covers fundamental aspects of FRP technology. The course is aimed at company employees whose work involves handling or fabricating fiber reinforced plastics and at those who wish to enter this technical field.
Fiber Reinforced Plastic Specialist
This three-week course builds on the fundamentals and provides a detailed overview of current methods for manufacturing FRPs. The differences between processing thermosets and thermoplastics are also explained. The course teaches the participants how to select suitable raw materials and manufacturing methods in order for the resulting FRP product to meet their specific requirements.
Fiber Reinforced Plastic Remanufacturer
The growing use of FRPs means that there is an increasing requirement for maintenance and repair of these materials. The one-week Fiber Reinforced Plastic Remanufacturer course focuses on the processing of FRPs and how to make high-quality repairs.
New building with optimal facilities
The new building of the Plastics Competence Center has been in use since the middle of this year. It is located at Parkallee 301 and is more spacious, more centrally located, and more modern than the former facility in Bremen-Nord. The new Plastic Competence Center is in the direct vicinity of Bremen Technology Park. With over 900 square meters of workshops, classrooms, and offices, the new building is ideal for providing training courses in fiber reinforced plastic technology. The workshops and classrooms have state-of-the-art equipment and are suitable for courses for up to 24 participants. The layout of the rooms has been specifically designed for the training courses. There are various restaurants and hotels close-by to cater for all the needs of course participants.
“Course program 2014”
At Composites Europe 2013 the Plastics Competence Center and the Center for Adhesive Bonding Technology of Fraunhofer IFAM will present details of their training courses in fiber reinfoced plastics and adhesive bonding technology for industry and the handicrafts sector. The “Course Program 2014” will be available at the Composites Europe 2013 fair. This program gives a detailed overview of all our training courses including descriptions of the different courses and the course dates for 2014. Besides these planned courses, it is also possible to provide in-house courses at companies/organizations in Germany or abroad. The courses are offered in German or English or with translation into the relevant local language.
Training courses in Adhesive Bonding Technology
The Center for Adhesive Bonding Technology of Fraunhofer IFAM offers internationally accredited and certifying training courses for DVS®/EWF European Adhesive Bonder (EAB), DVS®/EWF European Adhesive Specialist (EAS), and DVS®/EWF European Adhesive Engineer (EAE). Refresher courses for former course participants are also available. The latter allow former participants to not only refresh their knowledge but allow them to update their knowledge with the latest course content. The first such refresher course will be held in 2014 for European Adhesive Engineers.
"Bonding FRPs" training seminar
Another new offer is the "Bonding FRPs" training seminar. The growing importance of FRPs for lightweight construction coupled with the advantages of adhesive bonding as a joining technique for FRPs has resulted in Fraunhofer IFAM expanding its range of courses with a new training seminar entitled "Bonding FRPs". It is aimed at supervisors and master craftsmen in the handicrafts sector and industry, technologists, and specialized technical employees who work with FRPs and who wish to expand their knowledge about bonding FRP components. There has been very high demand for the first seminar planned for November 19-21, 2013. The seminar will consequently be held again from February 25-27, 2014.
A feature of all courses provided by Fraunhofer IFAM is the direct introduction of the latest research & development results into the training courses. The know-how acquired by companies enables them to utilize the opportunities of adhesive bonding and fiber reinforced plastic technology to drive their own product innovation.
