IKV scientist Jan Kleinsorge receives the 2026 Reifenhäuser Sponsorship Award for his master’s thesis
The Reifenhäuser Group honours outstanding research achievements by young scientists in plastics technology with this award. This year, the award goes to Jan Kleinsorge, M.Sc., scientist at the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University, for his master’s thesis on inverse thermal injection mould design.
© DThe award ceremony took place on 5 March 2026 at Eurogress Aachen as part of the 33rd International Colloquium Plastics Technology. The award was presented by Professor Christian Hopmann, Director of the IKV, and Dr Christoph Lettowsky, Senior Technical Sales Manager at Reifenhäuser Blown Film.
In his work, Kleinsorge focused on the targeted optimization of mould temperature control in order to reduce distortion in injection-moulded parts. He developed an approach to thermomechanical mould optimization that takes into account not only thermal but also mechanical influences between the mould and the moulded part. The method makes it possible to specifically influence residual stress symmetries and thus reduce mold deviations – an important contribution to improving dimensional accuracy, cycle time and energy efficiency in the injection molding process.
“We want to motivate students to work on current topics with commitment and curiosity and to perform exceptionally well.”
In his speech at the award ceremony, Dr. Christoph Lettowsky said: “In my work, I experience IKV and the collaboration on its research projects as an incubator for ideas and impulses for the future. There are always opportunities to attract young talent here. With the Reifenhäuser Sponsorship Award, we want to motivate students to work on current topics with commitment and curiosity and to achieve exceptional results.”
The Reifenhäuser Sponsorship Award, endowed with 3,000 euros, was created in 2020 to recognize outstanding work in the field of plastics technology and to promote young talent.