LaNDER³ is making progress

The LaNDER³ project (Lausitz Natural Fiber Composites, Decentralized Energy, Raw Materials, Resources, Recycling), which has been one of the three major technology transfer projects at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences since 2017, focuses on the entire life cycle of natural-fiber-reinforced plastics—from fiber extraction to the recycling of the components.

The goal is to use natural fibers from regionally available biomass, such as stinging nettle or mallow. Following the pulping process, they are processed into high-tech composites. This results in lightweight, durable materials that are shaped in an energy-efficient manner, coated for specific functions, and recycled after use. This process becomes economically viable when the plant residues can also be utilized.

Through the LaNDER³ partnership, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is collaborating with non-university research institutions to develop concepts—together with companies operating regionally and internationally—that extend far beyond the region.

On December 3, 2019, the researchers met with their industry partners at the newly inaugurated LaNDER³ Technical Center to discuss the results of the past year and to set the course for future work. In addition to keynote presentations on the individual research focuses, guests were able to attend presentations by the Wood Competence Center in Austria. Printed sensors for measuring moisture, temperature, and pH directly within the composite workpiece were just as exciting as the processes and pilot machines for manufacturing wood composite materials.

At the “hands-on table,” interested attendees could examine the latest results from the LaNDER³ project in detail or watch the robotic arm demonstrate developments in the field of collaborative robots in action. We thank our colleagues at the IPM for providing the demonstrators.

At LaNDER³, we’re already looking toward the future, as the second application phase is just around the corner, for which new ideas are being gathered from the network.