Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM

Digitalized Materials and Component Research for Sustainable Value Creation

 

Fraunhofer IWM opens new spaces for innovation aimed at enhancing the durability and safety of components, improving resource efficiency in process chains, and boosting the energy efficiency of machines. The institute empowers its customers to use materials in a data-driven manner as the key to competitiveness and sustainability. To this end, the institute creates digital representations of materials, manufacturing processes, and components and makes them predictable.

Latest Fraunhofer IWM research news and reports

 

08/04/2026 | Research News

40 percent more fatigue strength

A new, model-based optimization strategy developed by Fraunhofer IWM enables, for the first time, the targeted design of mechanical surface post-treatments for metal AM components. 

 

07/07/2026 | News

Fraunhofer Consortium Develops New Standards for Tire Abrasion Analysis

In the “TERIS” project, the teams of experts aim, for the first time, to generate, analyze, and predict tire wear in the laboratory in a standardized and practical manner.

 

06/03/2026 | Press Release

Construction of Europe's Largest Federated Digital Infrastructure for Materials Research

The MaterialsCommons project, coordinated by Fraunhofer IWM, connects 26 academic institutions from 14 countries. The development of new materials is to be accelerated by a factor of 4. Project start: June 1, 2026.

 

04/15/2026 | Press Release

Achieving the desired microstructure with the digital forging lab

A new simulation model from Fraunhofer IWM predicts weak points in forged components caused by incomplete grain formation (recrystallization). Embedded in an efficient digital workflow, this creates a digital forging laboratory that enables material and energy savings in forging processes.

 

03/25/2026 | News

Faster component safety in combustion processes that use hydrogen

Scientists at Fraunhofer IWM have demonstrated how thermomechanical fatigue under the influence of hydrogen can be determined economically using hollow specimens.

 

07/28/2025 | News

Using materials knowledge digitally and across company boundaries

The PMD-X-MAPRO project is creating a data space that makes materials and manufacturing data available in a digital, machine-readable format, enabling it to be automatically used and exchanged throughout industrial supply chains. 

 

03/19/2026 | Press Release

Peter Gumbsch receives Top Honor from the American Professional Society TMS

The director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg and professor of materials mechanics at KIT was named a TMS Fellow on March 18, 2026, at the annual conference of the American TMS – The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society in San Diego. 

 

02/03/2025 | News

PFAS substitution in tribological systems

Scientists at Fraunhofer IWM have developed and tested a substitution chain for lubricants and seals containing PFAS in a project funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg and a Fraunhofer project. This allows suitable PFAS-free materials solutions to be efficiently identified and evaluated.

 

01/27/2026 | News

Robust rules for safe weld seams in contact with pressurized hydrogen

In a new research project funded by the BMWE, design guidelines for welds for use in hydrogen technologies are being developed, based on the established recommendations of the International Institute of Welding (IIW). 

 

01/19/2025 | Press release

Christoph Eberl elected new chairman of the DVM

At the general assembly in December 2025, Prof. Dr. Christoph Eberl was elected as the new chairman of the German Association for Materials Research and Testing (DVM). He took office on January 1, 2026.

 

12/09/2025 | Press release

Transparent die casting process

The digital die casting twin links information regarding the condition of materials to all sub-processes of die casting and creates a knowledge base for meeting economic, technological, and ecological requirements. To this end, knowledge graphs for various process steps were created and networked at Fraunhofer IWM using ontology-based semantic structures. 

 

12/04/2025 | Press Release

HyLife project: Lifetime prediction for materials in contact with hydrogen

The HyLife project aims to develop a physics-based service life prediction tool. This will be used to reliably predict the service life of components under the influence of hydrogen.

Topics of Innovation

 

Digitalization of materials – creating added value with materials information

Digitalization of materials – creating added value with materials information

 

Qualifying components and functional materials for safe operation in contact with hydrogen

Qualifying components and functional materials for safe operation in contact with hydrogen

Investigate and prevent damage, and leverage this for innovation

 

Investigate and prevent damage, and leverage this for innovation