PLASTIC IS VALUABLE

Plastic has a poor image - a fact that also affects mechanical engineering. The industry therefore strongly advocates the circular economy.

RECYCLING: ENOUGH ROOM FOR EVERYONE

Recycling sits at the heart of the EU's plastics strategy. For this to be a success, however, more brand product manufacturers need to use recycled materials.

AUTOMOBILE DESIGN EVOKES EMOTION

Design combines functionality and aesthetics, design is emotional, particularly when it comes to cars. Motorists who think a car is ugly are unlikely to buy it and drive it. So how will the changes to the drivetrain influence automobile design? VDMAimpulse asked design experts.

DRIVES ARE CHANGING

Hybridization and electrification are picking up speed. What this means for added value in the drivetrain is the subject of the VDMA study "Drives are Changing" ["Antrieb im Wandel"].

THE EU'S QUEST FOR AN INTELLIGENT APPROACH TO AI

With the Communication on Artificial Intelligence, the European Commission has opened the debate on how to encourage the use of AI - and also maybe how to regulate it. While the Commission's proposal takes a rather optimistic view, there is still the danger of harmful legislation based on doomsday scenarios. In industrial applications, AI technologies such as machine learning are promising and challenging, but they are a long way from disrupting the legal and ethical framework.

POWER-TO-X: A PROMISING CORNERSTONE TO CLIMATE PROTECTION

If the goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050 is to be achieved, fossil resources will have to be replaced to the greatest possible extent. The "Power-to-X 2030" study sheds light on the role the machinery sector will play in this endeavor.

THE EU'S 100 BILLION EURO QUESTION

The EU Commission is about to present its next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. However, ensuring the competitiveness of European industry no longer seems to be a top priority.

UNDERSTANDING LEIBNIZ'S THOUGHTS

The great polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz noted his thoughts and ideas on countless pieces of scrap paper - an immeasurable wealth of knowledge as paperwork in the most literal sense. Using digital reconstruction, the Leibniz Puzzle project is set out to shed some light on his ideas.

WHO WAS LEIBNIZ?

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was one of the most important philosophers and universal scholars of the late 17th and early 18th century. He was a German philosopher, mathematician, diplomat, historian and political advisor of the early Enlightenment. Leibniz was born in the summer of 1646 in Leipzig. He died in November 1716 in Hanover.

CLOSURE OF MINES - LOSS TO THE SUPPLIER INDUSTRY?

The manufacturers of mining machinery in Germany are anticipating the closure of Germany's last two hard coal mines at the end of 2018. The aim is, however, to remain innovative.

DESIGNED FOR GREEN DRIVING

Limiting global warming and curbing greenhouse gas emissions are the main goals of the Paris climate agreement. Electric cars can contribute to achieving these goals. VDMAimpulse investigated the various options available for electric cars and took a closer look at two specific models: the Sion and e.GO Life.

IN SEARCH OF THE BEST SOUND

Sleep seems a million miles away. The night feels like a furnace, without even the slightest breeze. An air conditioning system could provide some relief, if only it didn't make such horrible noise. Making the sounds of such devices more agreeable is the current research interest of junior researcher Carolin Feldmann.