Research for climate-neutral production technology, considering a wide range of aspects relating to energy efficiency, energy flexibility and resource efficiency

Our research covers individual machines as well as holistic energy optimization of the production environment. Both the efficient design of components and systems (machines, supply system) and the synergetic interaction of connected systems as well as control engineering are part of the research. Due to our realistic test field ETA Factory, our research is characterized by its high transferability. An integral component is our holistic energy management system, with which numerous data points from production line and infrastructure facilities can be recorded in real time. This enables the application of digital research approaches such as the dynamic simulation of the production system, as well as machine learning methods, artificial intelligence and mathematical optimization.

The research group ETA | Energy Technologies and Applications in Production conducts research in an interdisciplinary team on technologies for the realization of climate-neutral production. The ETA factory is at the center of our activities. This is more than just a research laboratory – it is a tool and demonstrator for innovations in the areas of energy efficiency, energy flexibility and resource efficiency in production. We work hand in hand with industry and research partners to develop and test solutions that enable climate-neutral production. Our approach connects buildings and machines in a holistic energy system and tests real-world process chains. We also offer interactive workshops and tours to share our research and methods.

Sustainable, i.e. economically optimized and environmentally compatible production, is a success factor for the future actions of manufacturing companies. Against this background, the research group “Environmentally compatible Production” was founded at PTW in 1996. In the following years, the research group first acquired fundamental know-how on the development of environmentally compatible products and gathered relevant experience in the field of environmentally compatible design of industrial production. After elaborating the concept of an ETA factory and clarifying conditions, construction work was initiated in 2013 – just in time to mark the 120th anniversary of the chair. Only through a high level of joint commitment and with the support of the BMWi, the state of Hesse and the Technical University of Darmstadt was it possible to open the factory just three years later. Since then, production technology research has been made tangible there and new impulses have been set for the environmentally compatible production of tomorrow. As a real large-scale research facility, the ETA factory offers a unique opportunity to test and expand the research field of climate-neutral production in a practical way.