Under the motto "KREISLAUF.LEICHTBAU.ERLEBEN.", the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) held a first-class event on 18 and 19 March 2020 that offered an insight into the future of lightweight construction and its importance for a sustainable circular economy.

On March 18, the first day of the 1st National Competence Show, around 150 students from Saxony had the opportunity to experience first-hand how crucial lightweight construction is for a sustainable future. At the Dresden LEIV, the National Lightweight Validation Center, experts from industry and science presented in four technology areas how lightweight construction contributes to the design of a functioning circular economy. Through exciting experiments and interactive workshops, the students were not only able to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical way, but also develop a deeper understanding of the interrelationships in sustainable management.
The event aims to build a bridge between industry and education and was enthusiastically received by students, teachers and industry experts alike. The high demand from schools underlines the interest of the younger generation in career prospects in mechanical engineering, especially in the field of lightweight construction. It is a great pleasure for the ILK to promote the promotion of early-career researchers in this special way and to offer the students an inspiring and educational experience.

The second day of the "KREISLAUF.LEICHTBAU.ERLEBEN." event was all about exchanging ideas and networking with representatives from industry, politics and society. In the unique atmosphere of the LEIV, over 250 participants had the opportunity to get to know the latest technology trends in the fields of lightweight construction and the circular economy in a new format and to experience innovative impulses for future developments at first hand. Both guided tours through the LEIV with numerous interactive live demonstrations and the direct exchange between the participants ensured a special dynamic and a lively transfer of knowledge. The event was rounded off by the "Life Cycle Assessment" round table of the FOREL research platform.

The event focused in particular on solutions for increasing resource efficiency in lightweight construction process chains and methods for taking a holistic view of the product life cycle. Both approaches make a significant contribution to the transformation towards a functioning circular economy and thus a sustainable future. Numerous demonstrators and experts as well as live demonstrations of production systems for metal and plastics processing brought the content at LEIV to life. In addition, the Saxon Agency for Structural Development GmbH offered an insight into current research topics and thus the future of the circular economy with its Expo Circular poster exhibition. In addition to these technological topics, the potential of digitalization to reduce the workload of employees, which was developed in the KORESIL research project together with partners from TUBAF Freiberg, TU Dortmund University, TU Munich and Paderborn University, was also examined. Cobot solutions, innovative digital formats for training and augmented reality applications for production and collaboration could be tested by the participants themselves. Such digital solutions have enormous potential to counter the shortage of skilled workers and will therefore be part of the lightweight construction of the future.

The ILK is extremely positive about the event and sees it as an important milestone in the promotion of innovation and young talent in the field of lightweight construction. The ILK would like to thank all exhibitors and visitors for their contribution to the success of the event!