Press releases

Researchers at Fraunhofer IPM have developed a contactless flow measurement method based on magnetic fields. For the first time, they have been able to show the quantitative impact of the flow profile on the magnetic signal. This opens up new possibilities for improving the measurement method. The results were recently published in the “Journal of Applied Physics”.

How do you establish a building’s energy efficiency? An optical mobile mapping system that is being developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM is expected to provide comprehensive data that will form the basis for planning energy-efficient refurbishments. Its core element is a multispectral LiDAR sensor that measures the geometry of the building and the thermal properties of windows and façades.

Many applications, for example in toolmaking and mechanical engineering, require actuators to convert electrical signals into mechanical motion. If the application requires large forces while using minimal installation space, actuators made of thermal shape-memory alloys are the best choice. Their sole drawback lies in their slow cooling process and the resulting low dynamics. Three Fraunhofer institutes joined forces to develop a new class of high load shape-memory actuators that are the first to quickly switch large forces with minimal size and high dynamics.

A new type of sensor makes it possible to test functional barrier layers on plastic products during production for the first time. The Film-Inspect system was developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM in cooperation with plasma system specialist Plasma Electronic GmbH. The sensor uses infrared measurement technology to detect thin coatings with a thickness of less than 10 nm to 200 nm inline.

Oxygen saturation in the blood that is either too low or too high can cause lasting physical harm or even death. This is why patients’ oxygen concentrations are monitored continuously in both intensive care and trauma units. However, the pulse oximeters typically clipped onto a patient’s fingertip for this purpose can be unreliable. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM have developed a fluorescence-based sensor that measures the oxygen content of people’s breath directly and in real time in an effort to provide accurate figures in the future. The sensor determines the O₂ concentration in the respiratory gas according to the principle of fluorescence quenching, which allows conclusions to be drawn about the oxygen saturation in the blood.

In the production of printed circuit boards (PCBs), micrometer-diameter vias – known as microvias – are drilled through multilayer PCBs. Lasers can drill through these structures with high throughput and micrometer precision. A measurement technique based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is set to check the quality of the holes inline and control the process.

An optical inspection system inspects the geometrical dimensional accuracy and surface quality of cold-formed components during production for the first time – to within a few hundredths of a millimeter. This technology allows components with low manufacturing tolerances to be produced by forming rather than energy-intensive machining. Fraunhofer IPM will be presenting the demonstrator at HANNOVER MESSE.

The renowned Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) will use LiDAR systems developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM to survey maritime surfaces in the future. The state-run research unit expects this technology to deliver higher-quality geographical data and more efficient field measurements than ever before.

As part of the MultiLambdaChip research project, Fraunhofer IPM is developing highly integrated, cost-effective laser light sources for use in digital holography, working in collaboration with HÜBNER Photonics, Carl Zeiss AG, cyberTECHNOLOGIES GmbH and the Laboratory for Optical Systems at the University of Freiburg.

Building inspection benefits from laser-based measuring systems providing quick and accurate digital measurement data. In the future, lasers will help detect subsurface damage, too. Up until now, the only way of detecting hidden defects was the so-called impact hammer test.