Nov 10, 2026
Thermoplastic Composite Drill Crown Wins AVK Innovation Award
Presentation of the 2026 AVK Innovation Award at the JEC Composites Talks DACH.
The Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at TU Dresden, together with several project partners, was the first to develop a highly loaded diamond drill crown as a thermoplastic fibre-reinforced composite component. For this achievement, the WI-IN project, represented by Dr.-Ing. Michael Krahl, was awarded first place at the AVK Innovation Award 2026 on 20 October 2026. The award ceremony took place during the JEC Composites Talks DACH in Cologne.
Combining Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Metal
The developed drill crown consists of a wound hollow body made of carbon fibre-reinforced polypropylene (PP-CF), which is connected to the metal thread via an injection-moulded connecting component. The manufacturing process combines laser-based tape winding with mobile injection moulding. A particular challenge lay in the design of the complex connection areas between the composite hollow body, the injection-moulded component and the metal threaded insert.
Within the project, ILK was primarily responsible for material characterisation, structural-mechanical component design and life cycle assessment.
Significantly Reduced Weight and Improved CO₂ Footprint
Compared to a steel version, the developed composite drill crown has a mass reduction of approximately 70 per cent. At the same time, its service life was at least doubled. The life cycle assessment also showed an improvement of approximately 37 per cent. In addition, the concept enables the targeted use of recycled materials from production waste. Mechanical testing and field trials were successfully completed.
Collaborative Project with Industry Partners
The development was carried out in collaboration with INOMETA GmbH, AFPT GmbH, Strucnamics Engineering GmbH, Hilti Kunststofftechnik GmbH, ANYBRID GmbH and Mitsui Chemicals Europe GmbH.
The WI-IN project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the “Technologietransferprogramm Leichtbau”.