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.

The Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (Institut für Fertigungstechnik und Werkzeugmaschinen, IFW) is one of the academic departments of the University of Hannover and among the well known research institutes of the Federal Republic of Germany in the field of production engineering. It has a strong reputation in the fields of production management and organisation, machining technology, machine tools, robotics and controls as well as technological information systems. Its activities are aimed at rationalise the manufacturing processes though a balance of fundamental and application oriented research works. The results of the institute’s efforts are accredited world-wide. The close co-operation of the institute with the industry accounts for the good insight of the problems and demands in production environments. Approximately 40 % of the yearly turnover of the IFW is achieved by means of projects which are directly financed by industrial partners, many of whom are SMEs. Beside these sort of projects and the basic research programs funded by the German Research Council (DFG), the IFW has been successfully involved in several European projects like Brite/Euram, Esprit and Copernicus. Related EU-funded projects are HIPARMS, EASYCON, BETTI, COCOS, TOPSYS, FLAMINGO, MAREA, EUROSHOE, AMADEUS, ECOWIRE and ENGY. The IFW employees around 65 research engineers, several technician, programmers, staff personnel as well as about 150 students working as part-time employees.

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.

Set up in 1965 under initiative of mechanical companies and their professional organisation, the purpose of CETIM is to conduct studies and research for the French mechanical industry. Its extended scope of competencies covers the various requirements of that industry in terms of design, production, maintenance, control and measurement, environment administration and management. CETIM has a strong awarness of the need of engineering industry. In close cooperation with CETIM, the Federation of the mechanical engineering industries (FIM) seized the appropriateness of the publication in 2006, by the French Ministry for Industry, the study "key technologies for industry by 2010". CETIM is a key partner of the FP6 Network of Excellence, I*PROMS and is involved in 300 on going Research & Development projects including 12 new European contracts in 2006.