The Fraunhofer IFAM is one of the most important research institutions in Europe for adhesive bonding technology, surfaces, shaping and functional materials. At our institute’s five locations – Bremen, Dresden, Stade, Wolfsburg and Braunschweig as well as at the Test Center for Maritime Technologies on Helgoland – we put our central principles into practice: scientific excellence, a focus on the application of technology, measurable utility for customers and ensuring the highest quality.

Our approximately 700 employees, working in 20 departments and numerous working groups combine their broad technological and scientific knowledge and expertise into core competencies: Metallic Materials; Polymeric Materials; Surface Technology; Adhesive Bonding Technology; Shaping and Functionalization; Electromobility; and Automatization and Digitalization. These core competencies - both individually and in combination with each other – are not only the basis of our strong position in the research market but also of future-forward developments that will be useful for society.

Most of the products, processes, and technologies we develop are for sectors where sustainability is particularly important, namely for the aviation industry, automotive sector, energy technologies, medical technology and life sciences, maritime technologies. The solutions developed at Fraunhofer IFAM are, however, also used in various other branches of industry including machinery and plant construction, electronics and electrical engineering, shipbuilding, rail vehicle manufacture, the packaging industry, and the construction sector.