From left to right: Dr. Matthias Tröndle, Prof. Dr. Harald Riegel, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schneider, Dr. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, Thilo Rentschler, Markus Wiedemann, Jan Gerken, Otto Kieninger, Alois Zwick

Carl Schneider Stiftung supports acquisition of state-of-the art equipment for novel robotics research

27 September 2021
Stuttgart

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the foundation, another 135,000 euros were granted to MPI-IS to support the acquisition of a novel mechanical analysis device.

Stuttgart/Aalen – The Carl Schneider Foundation twice funded the acquisition of cutting-edge devices that support robotics research conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart. The foundation’s previous support of 250,000 euros recently allowed for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art 3D printer. At the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the foundation on September 28, 2021, another 135,000 euros were granted to MPI-IS to support the acquisition of a novel mechanical analysis device.

From left to right: Dr. Matthias Tröndle - Scientific Coordinator, MPI-IS, Prof. Dr. Harald Riegel, Prorector Hochschule Aalen, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schneider - Rector, Hochschule Aalen, Dr. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker - Director, MPI-IS, Thilo Rentschler - Lord Mayor, Aalen, Markus Wiedemann – Science Ministry Baden-Württemberg (MWK), Jan Gerken - Chancellor, University of Stuttgart, Otto Kieninger - Tax Advisor, Carl Schneider Stiftung, Alois Zwick - Notary, Carl Schneider Stiftung

The first sum enabled the institute to acquire a Stratasys J835 full-color multi-jet 3D printer. The second sum will be used to acquire a Bruker Hysitron PI 89 SEM PicoIndenter, a nanomechanical test instrument for SEM (scanning electron microscope) and focused ion beam (FIB) milling combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All research groups and departments of the Stuttgart site will benefit from the new equipment.

The 3D printer is operated by the Robotics Central Scientific Facility (CSF), which designs, prototypes, and tests new and novel mechatronic and robotic systems. With the new state of the art in full-color 3D printing technology, many printing projects can now be handled in-house, which speeds up the process of research. The ability to quickly print multi-colored three-dimensional parts with the color inherent to the material is expected to greatly improve the reliability and robustness of experiments.

Additionally, the Robotics CSF team can now print a variety of surface textures. This is generally quite difficult, and it is also not a strength or capability for most 3D-printing systems. With a qualified deviation of less than 100 microns for part features up to 100 mm in size, and the ability to define and create highly-detailed surface textures, the new 3D printer will greatly enhance the institute’s ability to print a large variety of objects with many textures.

Meanwhile, the PicoIndenter will allow the institute to further expand its research and analysis capabilities in the area of advanced materials for intelligent systems, in particular in the field of soft robotics. The device will be maintained by the Materials CSF, which is another Central Scientific Facility in the institute; it will be available to support the scientific staff of the institute in a wide range of projects.

The role of the Materials CSF at the institute's Stuttgart site is to help researchers elucidate size-influencing factors on physical, chemical and materials science properties. They also synthesize and analyze tailored microstructures. The CSF’s fabrication and analysis techniques are currently being extended and expanded for research into novel intelligent systems and robotic materials. The fabricated samples will no longer be based only on traditional metals, ceramics and semiconductors, but now also include modern classes of materials, such as polymers, hydrogels, liquids or composites, such as those used in the research area of soft robotics.

The new PicoIndenter leverages the advanced imaging capabilities of scanning electron microscopes, making it possible to perform quantitative nanomechanical testing while simultaneously imaging. Enabled testing techniques include nanoindentation, tensile testing, pillar compression, particle compression, cantilever bending, fracture, fatigue, dynamic testing, and mechanical properties mapping.

After taking part in the Board of Trustees meeting in Aalen, MPI-IS Director Katherine J. Kuchenbecker returned to the institute and happily notified her colleagues about the funding allocation. She commented, “I am delighted that the Carl Schneider Stiftung has chosen again to support the unique interdisciplinary research we are pursuing here at MPI-IS. This new 3D printer and the PicoIndenter we plan to purchase offer transformative new capabilities to the researchers in our institute who are investigating novel soft and hard materials for the robots and intelligent systems of the future.”

About the Carl Schneider Stiftung

The dedication of the Carl Schneider Foundation in Aalen is, among other things, the promotion of science and professional training. In 2021, projects at Aalen University, the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems will be supported with a total of more than 500,000 euros in accordance with the foundation's purpose.