Although we hold them in our hands every single day, we are hardly even aware of their existence. They can be found in everything from smart phones and automobiles to hearing aids: Miniature metal components. The Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 747 “Micro Cold Forming” at the University of Bremen is researching ways to refine their manufacture. Following the successful exhibition “Intelligent Production of Micro Components – Impressions of Masterful Production” hosted by Haus der Wissenschaft, a selection of the photographs will now be on show to the public at citylab Bremen in the center of town (Ansgaritorstraße 4) till January 19, 2017.
Everyone’s got more than one, but nobody sees them
The photo images capture the miniature components as objects of art. “In at least two dimensions, the components measure less than a millimeter. Although they are incorporated in devices virtually every one of us possesses, we never actually get to see them”, explains Malte Behlau, who is responsible for science communication in CRC 747 – and so the idea was born.
Most of the photos were taken by participants of a workshop on the industrial photography of micro components for which the CRC opened its laboratory doors. Other images were created in the frame of a photo competition on the theme “The Mass Production of Micro Components” a well as in the course of day-to-day work in CRC 747. “Ours is a very specialized field of research. Most people haven’t even the faintest idea of what micro cold forming might mean. After all, how many of us ever pick up a magnifying glass and take their smart phone apart to examine the components inside”, says Behlau. “So we thought: Why not make our object of research an object of art that everyone can see?”
The Collbaorative Research Center 747 “Micro Cold Forming”
The Collaborative Research Center 747 “Micro Cold Forming” is a cross-Faculty and cross-institute research cluster. The process of micro cold forming is applied above all in the manufacture of smart phones, hearing aids, and the automobile industry. The interdisciplinary CRC encompasses more than 50 research academics. Drawn from the areas of Mathematics/Information Technology and Physics/Electrical Engineering, they work on the systematic interpretation and reliable application of forming processes on the micro scale. The central aim is to design methods and processes for the mass production of metal micro components in batches of over a million pieces. CRC 747, which is supported by the German Research Foundation, was founded in 2007.
If you would like to have more information n this topic, feel free to contact:
University of Bremen
Collaborative Research Center 747 “Micro Cold Forming”
Malte Behlau
Phone: +49 421 218-58022
email: behlauprotect me ?!biasprotect me ?!.de
