The Dept. of Materials & Production Engineering (DIMP) of the Science and Technology Pole (STP) of the University of Naples Federico II specialises in innovative materials, advanced manufacturing and related information technologies. It supports a broad spectrum of basic, strategic and applied research, developing links with both large and small companies. DIMP has a very large number of industrial partners and collaborative projects with more than 15 countries in Europe. As a result, DIMP is now one of the largest and most successful Departments in any Italian university. DIMP has a research budget of about 6 MEuro. Within it, the Laboratory for Advanced Production Technology (LAPT), coordinated by Prof. R. Teti, is actively involved in multimedia, knowledge-based systems, HTML publishing, virtual reality research, product modelling information re-use, intelligent sensors development and application, image processing, non-destructive evaluation, reverse engineering, intelligent computation for manufacturing engineering, etc. DIMP has a strong team, comprising over 100 people, including post-doctoral/doctoral researchers and experienced design and manufacturing engineers complemented by marketing and administrative staff. At DIMP, faculty staff have been working for a long time in a number of areas vital to manufacturing and materials technology.

FIDIA is one of the European leaders in manufacturing Numerical Controls and High Speed Milling Machines for dies and moulds making. The company has also developed and offers CAM modules suitable in particular for on line generation of part programs (HIMILL).
FIDIA research activities are mainly focused on:
High speed milling and high accuracy roughing, semifinishing and superfinishing of free form surfaces; mechanics and structures for high speed and high accuracy and compensation of static and quasi-static errors; CAM and simulation systems, integrated NC systems, scanning and digitising; open and distributed NCs; monitoring of the milling process and sensor interfacing.
As a Machine Tool Builder, Fidia research expertise, relative to the design of milling machine tools, fits with the APM cluster. As a Numerical Control manufacturer it is relative to the realization of open and distributed NCs, able to interface sensors for monitoring and error compensation, and so it fits with the PAC cluster.

The Machining Team, managed by Ing. Mauro Comoglio, is the Fiat research group in the machining field. There are four main research branches: machine tool design, process design, development of material/coating for cutting tools, materials machinability. The team has worked on more than 30 European funded research projects (Alticut, Alumopla, Amadeus, Autofett, CD Treatments, CNC, Coming Dry, Dico, Dualco, Ecosystems, Engy, FGMSIATOOL, Incosynt, Mactest, MEA-PPNCD, Nacodry, Nanogrind, Sammi, Testify, Ulmat, Ultraflex), problem solving activities for Fiat Group and also for private customers external to Fiat Group. An Advanced Machining Laboratory is equipped with an advanced linear driven machine center (Renault Automation - Comau) for the development of high speed and dry machining of light alloys (titanium, aluminum and magnesium) and difficult to cut materials (innovative cast irons, superalloys, composite materials), and a CRF machine tool developed for the dies and moulds industry. The methodological approach is based on an integrated approach: on line wear/power/temperature monitoring, SEM/metallographic analysis of cutting tool and worked material, correlation between cutting tool properties/cutting performance, set up of cutting parameters and lubrication condition (oil, emulsion, MQL, dry), CAD/CAE/CAM design and FEM simulation/design, set up and testing of innovative cutting process.

Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements – PIAP was established in 1965. Currently, PIAP employs about 170 people, including 20 researchers with Ph.D. degree or higher – i.e. professorship – degrees, 80 researchers with M. Sc. degrees, administrative and technical staff - 70 employees. Generally PIAP activity consists in scientific and technical research, design and small to medium scale production, as well as introducing modern control and instrumentation technologies and systems (including robotics) to industrial enterprises, especially SMEs. In particular, PIAP has significant knowledge and experience in:
• systems and devices of automation,
• robotics and robotised systems including mobile robots,
• telemetry and monitoring in industry, monitoring of industrial installations and transportation forms with the aid of satellite links,
• measuring methods, systems, technologies and equipment for industry as well for environmental protection and environmental technologies,
• industrial communication networking,
• vision systems supported by software packages, especially in SMEs.

TEKNIKER is a private non-profit research centre, born in 1981 from a previous laboratory working in metals characterisation since the sixties. From that point onwards TEKNIKER grew adapting its offer to the changing demand coming from its industrial surroundings, mainly devoted to metalmechanical transformation and composed of small or very small companies. Over its twenty years of close collaboration with its surrounding industry, TEKNIKER has not only gained a lot of experience but has a strong influence in these sectors. The research centre has great potential for the dissemination of results to manufacturing industry in the area. TEKNIKER’s fields of actuation include: Product development and precision engineering (mechanical elements design, machines and equipment design and development, control systems, metrology and ultraprecision), Manufacturing systems (product and process design, manufacturing organisation, manufacturing systems) and Production processes (cutting technologies, forming technologies, surface technologies). A recent strategic decision has led TEKNIKER to move also towards being a centre for micro-manufacturing and precision engineering.