Lecturers, lectures and exercises The diversity of teaching in plastics technology

Students studying plastics engineering in Aachen benefit from a comprehensive and clearly defined educational profile, and therefore also from excellent career prospects. RWTH Aachen University offers numerous advantages that make the plastics engineering course particularly attractive.

Scholarly practice by industry experts

At IKV, professors from the University of Excellence impart their knowledge together with proven experts from research and industry. Students acquire specific know-how in lectures and practical exercises and discuss current issues with experts. The close integration of teaching, research and industry enables students not only to benefit academically, but also to gain valuable practical experience during their studies. This paves the way for a direct career start. In addition to Prof. Christian Hopmann, other lecturers work at IKV: Heads of department at IKV give lectures on their specialist areas, and the range of courses is also supplemented by representatives from leading industrial companies to cover many topics of practical relevance. As lecturers, they use their professional experience and in-depth knowledge to make a significant contribution to comprehensive training at IKV that is geared towards current developments.

Lectures, excercises and lecturers

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Lecturers of IKV
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Lectures and excercises
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Excursions

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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann holds the Chair of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University. He is also the course supervisor for plastics technology and thus responsible for the organization and implementation of courses at IKV. Professionally, he was Managing Director of RKW Sweden AB, Head of Extrusion and Quality Management at RKW AG Rheinische Kunststoffwerke (now RKW SE) and Senior Engineer and Deputy Head of the Institute at IKV. He was also head of the Moulded Parts Design & Materials Technology department. In 2000, he completed his doctorate at IKV with a dissertation on the analysis of the ceramic injection molding process.

Lecturer for the subjects:

Additive manufacturing in plastics processing
Joining and forming of plastics
Plastics processing I
Plastics processing II
Plastics processing III
Modelling and simulation in plastics and textile technology
Materials science II

Complete vita

Christian-Hopmann — Christian Hopmann, Institute Director and Chairman of the IKV Sponsors’ Association

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Rainer Dahlmann

Rainer Dahlmann is a Scientific Director for Circular Economy at IKV and Head of the Center for Plastics Analysis and Testing (KAP). After completing his doctorate at IKV in 2000, in which he dealt with permeation through plasma-polymerised layers and the plasma coating of plastic pipes and hollow bodies, he has been working as a lecturer since 2012.

Lecturer for the subjects:

Additive manufacturing in plastics processing
Functionalising plastic surfaces
Materials science of plastics
Designing with plastics

Rainer-Dahlmann — Rainer Dahlmann, Scientific Director and Head of the Center for Analysis and Testing of Plastics at IKV

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Achim Grefenstein

Achim Grefenstein is a graduate of IKV and has been a part-time lecturer in compounding technology and recycling at RWTH Aachen University since his habilitation in 1998. After completing his doctorate at IKV in 1994, he joined BASF SE in 1996 as an application engineer in technical marketing. In 2004, he moved to RKW SE as Head of Research and Development and has held the same position at Constantia Flexibles since 2013. In 2024, he became Scientific Director for Circular Economy at IKV. His habilitation at RWTH Aachen University dealt with “Reactive Extrusion and Plastics Processing”.

Lecturer for the subject:

Plastics processing technology and recycling

Achim-Grefenstein-768x768 — Prof Dr Achim Grefenstein is Scientific Director for Circular Economy at IKV.

Dr.-Ing. Kai Fischer

The Scientific Director of IKV and Managing Director of AZL Aachen GmbH completed his doctorate at IKV in 2012 with a thesis on “Investigations into the gap impregnation process for the large-scale production of structural components made of fiber-reinforced plastics” and has been working as a lecturer since 2013.

Lecturer for the subjects:

Fiber composites I
Fiber composites II

Fischer-Kai-quadratisch — Dr Kai Fischer is Scientific Director for Lightweight Technologies at IKV

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Limper

The Senior Scientific Adviser for Rubber Technology at IKV and current Managing Director of DKG was previously Managing Director of Harburg-Freudenberger Maschinenbau GmbH, Head of Development at Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik and Head of Technology at Werner and Pfleiderer. He also held a professorship for “Plastics Processing Machines” at the University of Paderborn. In 1992, he habilitated at RWTH Aachen University on the subject of “Process engineering in rubber processing from compound production to the end product using the example of extrusion”. In 1985, he completed his doctorate at IKV with the thesis “Methods for estimating the operating parameters in rubber extrusion”. He has been a lecturer since 1989.

Lecturer for the subject:

Rubber technology

Limper-Andreas-quadratisch — Prof Dr Andreas Limper teaches Rubber Technology

Dr.-Ing. Christoph Zimmermann

The head of the Injection Moulding department also heads the Additive Manufacturing research area at IKV. He has been a lecturer and lecturer for the subject “Tools for plastics processing I” since 2021. In 2023, he completed his doctorate on the topic of “Development of a methodology for modeling the visco-elastoplastic material behavior of thermoplastic elastomers”.

Lecturer for the subject:

Moulds for plastics processing I

Christoph-Zimmermann — Dr.-Ing. Christoph Zimmermann is Head of the Injection Moulding Department at IKV

Lisa Leuchtenberger-Engel

The head of the Extrusion and Rubber Technology department at IKV has been a lecturer and instructor in plastics technology since 2023.

Lecturer for the subject:

Moulds for plastics processing II

Lisa-Leuchtenberger — Dr Lisa Leuchtenberger-Engel is Head of Extrusion and Rubber Technology Department at IKV

Dr.-Ing. Marcel Brandt

The head of the Customer Engineering Services department at Envalior Deutschland GmbH completed his doctorate at IKV in 2006 on the subject of “CAE methods for the improved design of thermoplastic injection molded components” and has been working as a lecturer since 2011.

Lecturer for the subject:

Application of materials science principles in plastics processing

Hakan Çelik

The Head of the Department of Structural Analysis and Materials Engineering at IKV has been a lecturer since April 2022.

Lecturer for the subject:

Designing with plastics

Hakan-Celik — Hakan Celik is Head of the Department of Structure Calculation and Materials Engineering at IKV

IKV modules and courses

in the plastics technology course

Roboter bei der additiven Fertigung eines großen Bauteils im Labor für AF am IKV.

Additive manufacturing in plastics processing

3D printing, additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping are revolutionizing production technology and in some cases complementing conventional processes. It is therefore essential for plastics engineers to have knowledge of additive manufacturing.

Test-Vorlesung-Anwendung-werkstofflicher-Grundlagen-Beitragsbild

Application of material fundamentals in plastics processing

The lecture provides a comprehensive overview of development processes in the plastics industry. The individual steps from the development of new materials to their application in industrial practice are presented.

Joining and forming of plastics

The joining or welding of plastics is a central process in plastics technology that enables the permanent joining of plastic parts. The various joining and forming processes for plastics are presented in the lecture.

Fiber composites I & II

The lecture series deals with the properties of fiber composites, manufacturing processes, and the design and dimensioning of components.

Studium-Vorlesung-Funktionalisierung-von-Kunststoffoberflächen

Functionalising plastic surfaces

The lecture provides an overview of the most common processes for the treatment and coating of plastic surfaces.

Rubber technology

The lecture “Rubber Technology” primarily deals with the special properties of elastomers and their processing into products.

Test-Vorlesung-Konstruieren-mit-Kunststoffen-Beitragsbild

Designing with plastics

Material and process knowledge are closely linked and are crucial for high-quality plastic products. In the “Designing with plastics” module, you will learn the basics of plastic-compatible design.

moving conveyor transporter on Modern waste recycling processing

Plastics processing technology and recycling

The lecture covers all relevant process steps during preparation, such as dosing, plasticising, mixing, degassing, discharging and granulating, as well as the respective challenges in industrial practice.

Plastics processing I, II & III

Building on the lecture and exercise “Materials Science II”, these basic courses explain the most important processing methods in plastics technology.

Test-Vorlesung-Modellbildung-und-Simulation-Beitragsbild

Modelling and simulation in plastics and textile technology

This lecture focuses on models and simulations in plastics and textile technology. Physical modeling such as flow, heat transfer and structural mechanics modeling are used.

Vorlesung-Werkstoffkunde-der-Kunststoffe-Beitragsbild

Materials science II

The Materials Science II lecture provides important basic knowledge about the materials group of plastics. The focus is on the properties of the material.

Vorlesung-Werkstoffkunde-der-Kunststoffe

Materials science of plastics

The lecture provides basic knowledge and understanding of the complex material behavior of plastics. The content forms the basis for engineers to be able to develop safe-to-use products and implement material-compatible design and manufacturing processes.

Studium-Vorlesung-Werkzeuge-der-Kunststoffverarbeitung

Tools for plastics processing I & II

In this series of lectures, theoretical knowledge and proven rules for thermal and mechanical design are taught in order to be able to efficiently manufacture functional, cost-effective components that meet all requirements.

Excursions of the IKV

Get to know business practice and acquire industry knowledge

120 students on the excursion to the K 2022 trade fair in Düsseldorf — 120 students went to K2022 – one of the popular excursions that IKV organises in collaboration with the companies of the IKV Sponsors’ Association. *DF.Fotografie*

Every year, IKV organizes several excursions to companies from different areas of plastics technology. The largest event of this kind is the annual “Whitsun excursion”. It takes place during the RWTH’s excursion week (always in Whitsun week) and lasts four days. 30 students travel together with IKV employees to various companies to get to know products and production facilities as well as the areas of responsibility and career opportunities for plastics engineers. They will visit raw material manufacturers as well as plastics processing companies and machine manufacturers, giving them an insight into the three main fields of activity for plastics engineers.

Lecture-accompanying excursions

In addition, IKV offers further one-day excursions to selected companies every year as part of various lectures. For example, renowned injection mold manufacturers are visited as part of the lecture “Tools for plastics processing I”, allowing students to experience excellent operational practice directly on site. Students have the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts, see the latest technologies and gain insights into the production processes. These excursions enable students to see the theoretical knowledge they have learned in lectures in practice and get to know the working environments in which they could later work.

Trade fair visits

The IKV excursion program also includes visits to trade fairs. There is a free excursion to the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics industry – the “K”. This takes place every three years in Düsseldorf and is the most important international trade fair for plastics and rubber. On the K excursion, the impressive trade fair world is experienced and a comprehensive overview of the plastics industry is offered. IKV organizes a bus transfer to the joint visit to K and offers a guided tour of particularly interesting exhibitors. IKV itself will also be present at the trade fair with a large stand and a production injection molding machine. A visit to the K is definitely worthwhile. All excursions are announced in the lectures and on the IKV website. Registration takes place at the student support office or directly in the respective lectures.