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.

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.

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.

The research activities of the Institute for Mechanical Engineering (IMW) of the Technical University Clausthal (TUC) are in the area of engineering design of machinery parts, design of machine tools and processingmachinery, design theory, acoustic and computer integrated product design in terms of product data management, design management (engineering workflow) and life-cycle management as well as advanced CAx-tools and information systems for the design of mechanical systems. The equipment includes an acoustics laboratory and different test facilities to improve machinery parts.

IMW provides a centre for computer integrated manufacturing, that consist of two CNC 4-axis milling machine, a CNC turning machine with driven tools, a sinking erosion machine, a wire erosion machine and a portal measuring machine for quality control. For the rapid production of prototypes or tools the IMW has a laser sintering machine. In order to strengthen network activities the IMW has good relations to several national organisations, such as DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V.) and DECHEMA (Gesellschaft für chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V.). Furthermore, the IMW is partner in the German competence network “Berliner Kreis Kompetenznetzwerk” for product design and the Scientific Society of machine parts and product development (WGMK – Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Maschinenelmente und Produktentwicklung). On international level the IMW is participating in European co-operation projects under the ALFA and ASIA IT&C programmes.

The Manufacturing Engineering Centre (MEC) is an award-winning international R&D Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology. The 90-strong Centre forms part of Cardiff University, which dates back to 1883 and is one of Britain's major civic universities.

The MEC conducts basic, strategic and applied research as well as technology transfer with partners from 22 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The research spans a broad spectrum of subjects, from Robotics and Microsystems, Sensor Systems, High-speed Automation and Intelligent Control, Rapid manufacturing, Micro-Manufacturing, Nanotechnology, Quality Engineering, Multimedia, Virtual Reality and Enterprise Information Management.

The MEC's research work has received the overwhelming endorsement of sponsors and supporters in the private and public sectors. Over 100 industrial partners including multinationals like Hewlett-Packard, IBS, Mitutoyo, Parametric Technology, SAP, Silicon Graphics, Siemens and Tecnomatix support research projects at the Centre. The MEC also has collaborative projects with more than 22 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. As a result, the Centre is one of the largest and most successful operations in any UK university. Within the past ten years, the Centre has won over £40 million in grants and contracts including two EC 6th Framework Networks of Excellence contracts totalling 15M Euros in value. The two Networks of Excellence led by the MEC, I*PROMS and 4M, involve some 50 centres of excellence in the field of Advanced Manufacturing across the EU.

The MEC is also a Centre of Excellence for Technology and Industrial Collaboration (CETIC) sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).