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Student paper

Level Up Your Studies – Apply What You’ve Learned to Design Technical Components

Bachelor’s Thesis and Master’s Thesis

The objective of the work is to design, simulate, and validate a spiral distributor tool in a miniaturized scale.
Stuwi-Radialwendelverteiler© IKV
Radial spiral distributor for forming an annular gap flow at pilot-scale setup

Topic of the Thesis:

The IGF project “BlownUp” is investigating the scalability of the blown film process. Especially for cost-intensive plastics, such as those used in medical technology, extensive test planning at high throughputs is not economically viable. It is therefore essential to gain essential knowledge about the use on an industrial scale from experiments on a miniature scale. Using the theory of similarity, you will ensure that a film with identical properties can be produced on the small 1 kg/h laboratory system and on the large 1000 kg/h industrial system. To do this, you will design a spiral mandrel distributor tool on a miniature scale. After the preliminary design and construction, you will also carry out a flow simulation. The mold will then be manufactured and validated in a series of tests.

About the Research Area:

Blown film extrusion is a key process for the production of plastic films for a wide range of applications. It is characterized by its high efficiency and flexibility. Blown films can be found in all kinds of applications, from meter-wide agricultural films and multi-layer chip bags to vital medical products such as infusion bags.

Your Tasks:

Literature research on tool design and model transfer Literature research on tool design and model transfer
Software-supported pre-dimensioning of the spiral mandrel distributor Software-supported pre-dimensioning of the spiral mandrel distributor
Design of the Mould Design and simulation of the Mould
First commissioning validation in a test series

Your Profile:

  • An independent, structured and careful way of working
  • Previous knowledge of design with CAD software is desirable, but not a prerequisite
  • Previous knowledge of CFD simulation is desirable, but not a prerequisite
  • Technical or scientific degree program

Preferred study programs:

  • Mechanical engineering / industrial engineering, specialising in mechanical engineering
  • General mechanical engineering
  • Computational Engineering Science (CES)
  • Simulation Sciences
  • Industrial engineering, specialising in materials and process engineering
  • Applied Chemistry (B.Sc., FH Aachen)
  • Applied Polymer Sciences (M.Sc., FH Aachen)