Projects
Research
that lands.
Collaboration between RWTH institutes and industry partners produces projects along the entire aluminium value chain — from melt to finished component.
Active
Current Projects
Porosity in Aluminum Alloys
Investigating pore formation in aluminium alloys to target improvements in casting quality and component properties. Started in 2024.
Al in Gates Design
Optimising gating design in aluminium casting to increase process reliability and component quality. Started April 1, 2025.
Archive
Completed Projects
Cross-process modelling of components made from rolled and annealed Al sheet
Modelling the full process chain for rolled aluminium sheet components in automotive applications.
Modelling microstructure formation in forming processes
Numerical simulation models for designing new and optimising existing process chains, focused on microstructure and grain size distribution.
Melt Cleanliness
Material development for rolled products and castings with reduced non-metallic inclusions for improved mechanical properties.
Fundamental Understanding and Removal of Non-metallic Inclusions in Aluminium Melt
Continuation of project P4 "Melt Cleanliness" with deeper investigation of non-metallic inclusions in aluminium melt.
Sustainable Recycling Concept: Efficient Melting
Developing a model for the aluminium recycling process, including fluid dynamics, thermal conditions, and liquid/gas reactions.
Hot distortion of sand cores during casting
Understanding and simulating sand core distortion to improve dimensional accuracy of castings.
Ultra-high-strength aluminium alloys for high-volume automotive production
An alternative to hot-formed boron steels for structural vehicle components, including new joining concepts and simulation tools.
INTERaCT — Intergranular corrosion of 6000-series aluminium alloys
Testing the susceptibility of heat-treatable 6000-series alloys to intergranular corrosion following unsuitable heat treatment.
Heat treatment of cast alloys and prediction of final properties
Predicting mechanical casting properties after heat treatment with regard to application and competitiveness.
Hollow structural HPDC aluminium components
Design and process development for hollow die-cast aluminium structural components, including joining investigations, to reduce body-in-white weight.
Tailor rolling of high-strength aluminium alloys
Industrial feasibility of tailor rolled blanks made from high-strength aluminium alloys.
Aluminum casting for high-volume production of structural nodes in BIW
Integrating aluminium castings into the vehicle body to reduce body-in-white weight.
Further completed projects (including P19–P24) covered topics such as microstructure simulation during ageing, ultrasonic particle detection in aluminium melts, online topography measurement during cold rolling, and automated casting feasibility assessment. Details available on request via our contact form.
Funding Instrument
AMAP Seed Funding Pool
The Seed Funding Pool supports early, promising project ideas within the cluster — before a full consortium-funded project is in place. This allows new collaborative approaches to be tested quickly and without bureaucracy.
Member companies and institutes can submit ideas at any time through the management team. Suitable cooperation ideas are also regularly presented at colloquia and the AMAP Forum.
Project poster / lab photo