The plastics and their processing technologies have massively and dynamically continued their development in the recent years so that sensor and electronic functions can be directly integrated in plastic components to an increasing extent. These new possibilities of functional integration generate tremendous potential to raise efficiency in production and application of novel components and systems.
The trend toward functional integration has been seen for many years already in component development and it becomes more and more prevalent. The reasons for this are that costs and time-to-market must be massively reduced, notably with simultaneously rising requirements for functionality and quality of the products.
The very strong competition from low-wage countries now places strenuous demands on Austrian businesses to network the two branches of industry in such a way that they can together offer highly integrated, extremely smart products at competitive prices on the market.
The Integrat-K project is about the development of extremely smart plastic components with integrated mechatronics/electronics. For this purpose, the present knowledge of the project partners regarding film and injection moulding technologies are combined with the knowledge of sensor systems and electronics and brought to a needs-oriented application in the consortium. This is implemented in the project by the enterprise partners with the help of the involved technology partners and involvement of external know-how bearers in Austria and other countries directly in the form of corresponding components according to the "learning by doing" approach. In specific, new methods are to be found to integrate sensor systems and/or actuating elements, besides electronics, in plastic parts in the segments of HVAC, electronics and lighting. In the course of this, developments will be started without which this project could not be run. A further objective is to expand the know-how of the relevant topical field within the project group. This will also largely be done by means of continuous, project-internal discussions among the project partners in addition to the contribution of know-how.
The results will be disseminated to the SMBs/OEMs through the mechatronics and plastics clusters, which will establish a corresponding platform for this purpose.
Project period: 24 months; from 01/2013 until 12/2014
Project consortium:
- Industrial Liaison Department (Außeninstitut) Montanuniversität (project coordinator)
- Aspöck Systems GmbH
- CNSystems Medizintechnik AG
- Haratech Manfred Haiberger
- Josef Mack GmbH
- Ottronic Gesellschaft m.b.H.
- plastic electronic GmbH
- Pollmann Austria GmbH
- Polyconcent
- WIMTEC Electronic Control and Measurement Devices GmbH
- Zehetner-Elektronik GmbH
Funding programme: COIN "Cooperation and Networks" Programme Line (5th call for proposals) (German only)
Contact: Dr Christian Kukla
