Lightweight engineering made easy!

In August 2023, the ILK supported the TU dresden's TryIng trial study initiative, the TU9 ING week and the project day of the BSZ Elektrotechnik Dresden.

In August 2023, many young people were once again able to gain an insight into the world of lightweight engineers and get to know the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at TU Dresden. In addition to 10 high school graduates preparing for their studies as part of the TU Dresden's tryING trial programme, high school graduates from the vocational high school BSZ für Elektrotechnik Dresden as well as 20 international students from all over the world (TU9-ING week) were on site and were able to experience first-hand what tasks await them in their future studies and professional life.

The young people had a look at the ILK's production and testing halls and learned how components are designed, materials developed and fibre composite components manufactured and tested.

Wearing white protective gowns, blue gloves and large safety goggles, they competed with our in-house staff in terms of production quality as soon as they arrived at the ILK. But do the components really deliver what they promise? By means of various testing procedures, they were able to directly compare the quality of the components produced in the same manufacturing process. A competition broke out to see which component could achieve the best mechanical properties and whether these were better than those of our lightweight construction students. The cheering of the individual tensile test specimens and the cheers brought a smile to the lips of many an ILK staff member.

But the focus was not only on the production of fibre-reinforced plastic composites. Some exemplary problems that arise in everyday engineering were also explored. Despite the new mathematical formulas and the initially unfamiliar solution, the young people mastered the tasks creatively and were thus able to take the first steps towards the analytical way of thinking of engineers.

The main focus was on the exchange between the young people and the staff of the institute. There was a lot of exchange about everyday working life, individual careers and diverse interests. We look back with gratitude on the refreshing days and the many impressions and look forward to welcoming the young people soon at the TU Dresden and perhaps even at the ILK in a few semesters.