Interview with Prof. Dr. Eng. Maik Feldmann

The “Polymer Applications” business unit at Fraunhofer IMWS focuses on the development of sustainable and innovative plastic solutions. Its main areas of focus include fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, rubber composites, plastic waste recycling, bio-based materials, and lightweight construction solutions. It covers the entire value chain from material development and process optimization to prototyping, thereby enabling resource-efficient applications for mobility and industry.

In your view, what were the success stories of the past year that illustrate the concrete benefits of your research work for customers?

There were two impressive examples of this right at the start of the year: Together with a consortium of industry partners, we won the JEC Innovation Award in the “Automotive & Road Transportation – Process” category in January. The award recognized a manufacturing process that we developed and patented at the institute. It enables the large-scale production of thermoplastic sandwich semi-finished products, thereby opening up many possibilities for lightweight construction applications. This demonstrates how we can support our customers in developing forward-looking solutions through our expertise in both materials and processes. The second example is the flagship project “Waste4Future,” which was completed in 2025. Under our leadership, eight Fraunhofer institutes developed new solutions for plastics recycling within this project. By combining our expertise, we were able to significantly improve many aspects, such as sorting, formulation development, recycling pathways, and the minimization of waste streams, thereby creating attractive new opportunities for sectors such as waste management and the chemical industry.

Our presence at the K trade show was also a great success. We received very positive feedback there, particularly regarding our lightweight construction expertise and new ideas for the use of thermoplastic materials in aviation.

In which areas are you seeking cooperation partners and clients? How do you work with them to create added value?

We can support all customers who require expertise in materials and processes related to fiber-reinforced high-performance thermoplastics and innovative rubber composites. For them, we offer excellent facilities with a wide variety of methods, including some annexes on an industrial scale, which allows for effective support in scaling and prototype testing. This enables us to offer a technology platform for startups to test, optimize, and implement new ideas. We can advise on the selection of raw materials for polymer applications as well as on virtual process chains or the development of new materials with defined material properties.

What sets us apart is our consideration of the entire value chain, from the microstructure of the material to the custom-made component, including the necessary expertise in processing technologies. This enables us to make our understanding of microstructures directly and profitably available to our customers. For direct commissions, we work with customers to draft contracts that precisely tailor objectives, timelines, costs, procedures, and, for example, the handling of intellectual property to the specific needs of each company. We frequently collaborate with industry partners in publicly funded project consortia as well.

What developments are on the horizon to further expand the business unit’s offerings in the future?

We must continue to position ourselves strategically in a highly dynamic environment. Many customers are struggling with high energy prices and a weak economy, so we must emphasize even more clearly how working with us can contribute to improved competitiveness. In this regard, there are several areas where I see significant future opportunities: lightweight construction, for example, through specialized tapes for high-tech applications, is just as much a part of this as biopolymers and expertise in the circular economy within the plastics industry. In the field of high-performance thermoplastics, we can provide support in the development and evaluation of suitable materials for special applications and highly complex systems. We can also make even more significant contributions in the aerospace sector in the future, as we have recently demonstrated with projects such as “EcoRudder” and “STair.”