Additive manufactured components offer numerous advantages, including material and energy savings, shorter machine times and reduced tooling costs. At the same time, however, subtractive finishing poses special challenges in order to meet the final requirements for shape and surface finish: individual workpiece clamping, release of residual stresses, low natural frequencies and damping, as well as the often low rigidity of the components, which can lead to deformation and geometric errors. The IPMT focuses here on the finishing of additively printed, complex components. For example, the process chain for the production of brake calipers for e-gnition, the Formula Student team at the TUHH, was completed in its entirety. In this process, novel and individual clamping concepts were designed, manufacturing strategies were tested and approaches to topology optimisation of the component were implemented.

In the field of CAM and adaptive machining, the IPMT develops innovative strategies tailored to the finishing of thin-walled, additively manufactured components. These strategies leverage adaptive processes with integrated sensor technology to capture process data in real time, directly at the cutting edge, and optimize manufacturing through machine learning algorithms. A central focus lies on the research and implementation of adaptive compensation methods that minimize process deviations and geometric errors by dynamically adjusting tool paths. This approach ensures a sustainable increase in both quality and productivity. Particular emphasis is placed on seamless integration into existing manufacturing processes, enabling industry-oriented application and development.