Fraunhofer IFAM names Prof Thomas Weissgärber as its new director
Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), Dresden, Germany, has appointed Prof Dr-Ing Thomas Weissgärber as its new director. Since April 1, Prof Weissgärber also holds the professorship of Powder Metallurgy at the Institute of Materials Science in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Technische Universität Dresden.
Prof Weissgärber has been associated with the Dresden site of Fraunhofer IFAM for many years. During his career as a group and department head, as well as deputy and most recently interim head of the institute, he has conducted research in various areas of Powder Metallurgy. Within his work at the Innovation Center Additive Manufacturing (ICAM), he has established a knowledge base in the field of powder-based Additive Manufacturing.
“Fraunhofer IFAM is one of Europe’s most important independent research institutes in the fields of adhesive technology, surfaces, shaping and functional materials. Its products and technologies primarily address industries of particular importance for the future viability of the economy, including energy technology, mobility and life sciences,” stated Prof Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “I am extremely pleased that Prof Thomas Weißgärber is now at the helm. He is a long-standing leader who has made a significant contribution to developing Fraunhofer IFAM into one of the leading applied research institutes in the field of powder metallurgical technologies and materials.”
For a number of years, Prof Weissgärber has been helping to establish a close link between science and applied research, holding lectures on the topics of materials in energy technology, Powder Metallurgy and sintered materials, as well as thermophysical properties and high-temperature behaviour. Through the professorship for Powder Metallurgy, Sintering and Composite Materials at TU Dresden, he intends to further strengthen this alliance in the future.
“I consider my new role as a motivation to continue to develop and expand existing competences at Fraunhofer IFAM, and, together with my team, to use the excellent know-how, particularly in materials, Powder Metallurgy and Additive Manufacturing for innovative, future-proof developments in order to generate optimum solutions in core areas such as energy technology, mobility and medical technology,” stated Weissgärber.
