Dresden scientists want to improve energy efficiency in the wood and furniture industry

© BMEL

Technische Universität Dresden and the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig will start a cooperation project on 01 March 2021 to develop energy saving potentials in the wood and furniture industry. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) as part of the program 'Renewable Resources', with a total funding amount of 560.000 euros and a funding period of 24 months.

Over many decades, technically and economically accepted machines, plants as well as process chains for the production of semi-finished and finished products have been established in the wood industry. The university professors and academy members Prof. Dr. Wilfried Hofmann and Prof. Dr. André Wagenführ nevertheless see great potential in the industry for optimizing existing production processes in wood manufacturing, reducing investment and ongoing operating costs, and saving energy. In the research project, the scientists therefore want to develop a digital support system that records and analyzes the entire power flow in the manufacturing process and shows companies concrete energy efficiency measures. In addition, the support system should also ensure automatic interventions in the operational control and complex control algorithms. "In machines and plants, cyclical loads very often occur, which can lead to unfavorable power peaks. Control interventions and optimizations can reduce these peak loads and enable more precise dimensioning of electrical installations and the use of adapted machine components. The system will be able to analyze these processes, provide companies with application- and component-related recommendations or, if possible, intervene directly," says Professor Hofmann, Chair of Electrical Machines and Drives.

The new development is intended to contribute to ensuring the competitiveness of the woodworking and wood processing industry (HBV) but also to environmentally-friendly manufacturing. "There is thus the chance to manufacture industry products cheaper, with higher acceptance and market penetration but above all to meet the increasing technical demands on the end products, with reduced energy and material consumption. The know-how advantage could promote energy- and resource-saving manufacturing in the woodworking and wood processing industry," says Professor Wagenführ, Chair of Wood Technology and Fiber Materials Technology.

Two scientific positions at TU Dresden and one IT position at the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig are currently planned for the realization of the project. Initial users of the support system are to be companies that will accompany the project as cooperation partners.

Media Inquiries:
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilfried Hofmann
Technische Universität Dresden
Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Chair of Electrical Machines and Drives
Phone: +49351 463-37634
Mail:
www.saw-leipzig.de/de/mitglieder/hofmannw

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Wagenführ
Technische Universität Dresden
Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
Chair of Wood Technology and Fiber Materials Engineering
Phone: 0351 463-38100
Mail:
www.saw-leipzig.de/de/mitglieder/wagenfuehra