Press

Fusion has the potential to become a key pillar of a climate-neutral and reliable energy supply, creating enormous market opportunities. Around the world, the race to build the first commercial fusion power plants is well underway, and Germany is exceptionally well positioned to compete. Achieving market leadership, however, will require it to immediately develop industrial process and supply chains, as well as research and industry to closely collaborate and exchange know-how. The Fraunhofer Fusion Industry Day 2.0 provides the ideal platform for launching these efforts. On October 15 and 16, 2026, it will bring together stakeholders from industry, research, government, consulting, and the energy and financial sectors in Aachen.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already having a profound impact on value creation in laser manufacturing and optical design. Yet only a fraction of the potential between these fields has been realized. To help unlock these opportunities, SPECTARIS –the German industry association for optics, photonics, analytical and medical technologies – and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT are hosting the two-day conference “AI in Photonics”. The first day introduces participants to AI methods, tools, and applications, providing a solid foundation in the field. The second day focuses on the latest developments in industrial and scientific AI applications. The two conference modules, taking place on October 13 and 14, 2026, can be booked individually or as a package.

Fraunhofer ILT is developing laser-based manufacturing processes for applying PFAS-free functional coatings to metal components, plain bearings, and elastomer rollers. The RePEEK, EPOS, LEMBAS, and pureWaterSeal projects demonstrate that replacing "forever chemicals" requires more than suitable substitute materials. Equally important are the manufacturing processes used to apply them.

The South Korean automotive supplier ILJIN was looking for a solution to a disturbing ping-noise occurring at the interface between the wheel bearing and the driveshaft. Working together with Fraunhofer ILT, the company de-veloped an EHLA-based functional coating to address this issue, and has in-tegrated it into a tailored application that is now making its way into mass production. This application demonstrates how a specific industrial challenge can lead to a laser process suitable for series production. It also shows that the solution lies not in the material alone, but in designing the component, surface, and manufacturing process to work together as a functional system.