Volume 116 (2026), Edition 01-02

Electronics with complex material compositions, critical raw materials, and short innovation cycles hinder closed loops. This article operationalizes circular economy through repairability, reusability, recyclability, durability and material...

Product identification systems are considered a key prerequisite for establishing comprehensive infrastructures for implementing the Digital Product Passport (DPP). At the same time, establishing consistent identification systems is a challenging...

Manual adhesive processes are spreading across repair, remanufacturing and rework. Therefore, an application system that reliably detects and classifies adhesive and sealing beads in real time and integrates results into PPS and MES systems is...

In pathological laboratories, tissue samples are prepared for subsequent diagnosis in a multi-step production process. While most of the processes are automated and use robotics for handling, the initial sample sectioning is still largely manual....

Industrial value creation has traditionally been based on costs, time, and quality, while sustainability has long been considered an additional burden. At the same time, the volatile environment requires robust approaches, even for small and...

A core element of the upgrade circular economy is the re-assembly, which focuses on integrating new functionalities into the product after the user cycle, allowing it to enter a new lifecycle. However, re-assembly entails inherent uncertainties that...

The “twin transition” as the parallel digital and sustainable transformation, represents a structural change process. Data-driven technologies establish maintenance as a key lever for enhancing sustainability and efficiency. The paper...

With external volatility and growing demands for resilience and sustainability, global production networks need to be designed in a continuous and holistic way. To make this happen, we‘re introducing an integrated approach across the strategic,...

Increasing cost pressure demands productivity gains from companies – measured using Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Production planning and control (PPC) offers numerous improvement options, but the causes of low OEE are difficult to...

Increasing product variety and shorter product life cycles increase the complexity of production ramp-ups. To manage this complexity, it is of central importance to consider employee competencies , particularly in predominantly manual assembly...

Nonwoven abrasive waste contains polymers and abrasive grains in a hard-to-separate bond, considered difficult to recycle. Based on a prior publication, a novel hot-pressing process is demonstrated converting both fractions into functional grinding...

Despite the high demands placed on grinding tool manufacturing, significant batch variations occur as a result of uneven grain distributions or thermal deviations during the firing process. To analyze their effects, tools from different batches and...