Cooperations

Fraunhofer IAPT is a member of the Fraunhofer Group for Production, a cooperative network of eleven Fraunhofer institutes and facilities. Founded in 1988, the alliance aims to collaboratively conduct production-oriented research and development. By leveraging the latest insights from production engineering, engineering sciences, and computer science, the alliance offers a range of services covering the entire product lifecycle and the full value chain. Research and industry are closely and interdisciplinarily connected here. By pooling the diverse competencies and experiences of its members, the alliance can provide German and international customers with comprehensive system solutions. In this way, companies are prepared for the ‘production of the future.’ Fraunhofer IAPT contributes to the alliance as an important component by providing its expertise in industrial and autonomous solutions for additive manufacturing technologies.

Together with the Fraunhofer Institutes ITMP, IAP, and Fraunhofer CML, Fraunhofer IAPT founded the ‘Fraunhofer Industrial Application Center Quantum Computing Hamburg’ (Fraunhofer IQHH) in 2023 as a virtual organization. The four partners collaborate to further develop resources and capacities in the field of new quantum technologies. Quantum computers can perform calculations in a fraction of the time that conventional computers would require years to complete. With their capabilities, quantum computers redefine what can be computed. They offer science and industry enormous opportunities to design and optimize products and production processes based on innovative materials, as well as logistics processes and systems.

The Hamburg economy has gained a unique, application-oriented center of expertise and knowledge through Fraunhofer IQHH. The center also collaborates with other networks, such as Hamburg Quantum Innovation Capital (HQIC) and the Fraunhofer Competence Network Quantum Computing. This allows the IQHH application center to access the extensive knowledge and expertise of the 12 Fraunhofer institutes within the Fraunhofer Competence Network Quantum Computing as needed. Additionally, as part of a national cooperation with IBM, Fraunhofer has preferential access to the IBM Quantum System One, currently the only quantum computer available with secured IP access.

The Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing integrates nineteen institutes across Germany, covering the entire process chain of additive manufacturing. This includes the development, application, and implementation of additive manufacturing methods and processes. The offerings are aimed at sectors such as handling and assembly, medical technology, mobility, microsystems technology, and toolmaking, but are also applicable across industries. Since its founding in 2018, Fraunhofer IAPT has been a member of the Fraunhofer Additive Manufacturing Competence Field and contributes through jointly offered contract research projects and trade fair appearances.

NextGen Life Science at Fraunhofer IAPT collaborates on various research topics with the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), with the goal of integrating additive manufacturing into the clinical workflow and further developing it for specific applications. The various research priorities at UKE are coordinated by Prof. Dr. med. Dr. med. dent. Ralf Smeets, who leads the ‘Regenerative Orofacial Medicine’ section in the OMS department. Prof. Smeets also serves as an advisor to Fraunhofer IAPT, aiming to translate the ideas of medical professionals into the language of engineers. The joint development activities range from digital image data acquisition and processing, to the application of AI for reconstructing medical anatomies, and the development of new additive processes and materials.

Fraunhofer IAPT works in a strategic cooperation with Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg. DESY is one of the world’s leading research centers for particle and photon sciences and possesses a unique large-scale research infrastructure with high-brilliance X-ray sources. This infrastructure allows researchers to examine materials down to the nanometer scale and to analyze even rapidly occurring manufacturing processes in real time. The aim of the collaboration is to combine these unique capabilities in synchrotron-based materials and process analysis with the application-oriented research of Fraunhofer IAPT in additive manufacturing, thereby generating new insights for the industrial use of 3D printing.

The cooperation builds on the overarching Fraunhofer-DESY collaboration, in which Fraunhofer and DESY work together to make the large-scale research infrastructure increasingly accessible for industrial questions and to shorten innovation cycles in industry. By combining DESY’s world-unique research infrastructure with Fraunhofer IAPT’s expertise in industrial additive manufacturing, a unique offering is created for companies along the entire value chain – from material development and 3D printing to product certification.

IAMHH e.V. is a cross-industry network of additive manufacturing experts from industry, research, and business, based in Hamburg. The association’s goal is to further industrialize additive manufacturing and strengthen its application in real production environments.

IAMHH e.V. positions itself as a platform and network for companies of all sizes that want to implement, expand, or strategically further develop additive manufacturing technologies. Through knowledge exchange, networking formats, interactive workshops, and the initiation and coordination of cross-industry collaborative projects, the association supports the application-oriented advancement of the technology.

A particular focus lies on lowering entry barriers, scaling additive manufacturing processes, and strengthening the competitiveness of the industrial location in Northern Germany. With now over 45 members from industry, research, and development, IAMHH e.V. actively promotes collaboration along the entire value chain of additive manufacturing.

As a founding member, Fraunhofer IAPT has been actively involved for around 10 years in the Mobility goes Additive e.V. network, which was established at the initiative of Deutsche Bahn to industrialize additive manufacturing, particularly for the mobility sector. Fraunhofer IAPT leads the ‘Education’ working group in what is likely the most significant international network for 3D printing and develops concepts for technology-related training and professional development.

In addition, Fraunhofer IAPT supports the certification of additively manufactured components for rail transport and the development of new materials – for example, fire-resistant ones – within the ‘Approval’ and ‘Materials’ working groups. Since 2019, Fraunhofer IAPT has also been active in the newly formed sister network ‘Medical goes Additive’, striving to identify and implement innovative medical technology applications for 3D printing.

Fraunhofer IAPT is a member of the steering committee of the Maritime Network for 3D Printing – MN3D. The network’s members aim to unlock the potential of additive manufacturing for shipbuilding and other maritime applications and to initiate joint research and development projects in this context. The MN3D network cooperates closely with the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany e.V. (MCN).

The company 3D Spark was founded in June 2021 by three former employees of Fraunhofer IAPT. The company develops and sells software for identifying and quantifying cost savings in manufacturing. To do this, CAD data, ERP data, and technical drawings are analyzed using AI-driven algorithms to precisely identify the components that can be produced more cost-effectively with 3D printing than with the previously used methods. Fraunhofer IAPT and 3D Spark collaborate in the field of software-based ‘part screening’ to jointly explore new applications for 3D printing and to provide customers with optimal guidance for implementing 3D printing.

Fraunhofer IAPT has a close and long-standing partnership with the Hamburg-based consulting company AMPOWER. In a joint training concept, both institutions combine their expertise in binder jetting and offer a hands-on workshop that unites AMPOWER’s comprehensive technology and market knowledge with Fraunhofer IAPT’s process and machine expertise for the benefit of the customers. In addition, joint projects focus on developing design guidelines and qualification strategies for this process.

The amsight GmbH is a spin-off founded by three former colleagues of Fraunhofer IAPT. During their time at the institute, they experienced firsthand the challenges of quality assurance and process optimization in additive manufacturing. The spin-off in 2023 was therefore a logical and demand-driven step.

amsight aims to transform valuable production data, which is often collected in silos and goes unused, into a reliable quality tool for industrial additive manufacturing. Their quality management software has been specifically developed for additive manufacturing. It integrates powder, process, and inspection data across the entire AM production chain and makes it accessible for further use.

Fraunhofer IAPT maintains a close collaboration with amsight for the continued development and industrial implementation of the software.

The Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) has established a consortium of 101 partners to build a world-class ecosystem for additive manufacturing that spans the entire value chain. Sustainable manufacturing is intended to reduce carbon emissions across supply chains, lower maintenance and transport costs, and at the same time increase engagement and productivity.

AMCRC brings together Australia’s research community and industry to create a globally leading AM ecosystem across the full value chain. The initiative aims to support more sustainable and globally competitive production for the Australian economy.

In the 25th funding round of the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program, AMCRC received a funding commitment in May 2025. With 58 million AUD in government support, the Australian federal government is backing the development and commercialization of additive manufacturing as a key technology. Industry and research partners contribute an additional 213 million AUD in cash and in-kind support to AMCRC.

As an associate partner and the only Fraunhofer institute in AMCRC, Fraunhofer IAPT contributes its expertise across the additive manufacturing workflow to projects with AMCRC partners from both research and industry.