After a successful kick-off meeting in Eindhoven at the beginning of April 2017, the EU-subsidized project HybMan (Hybrid 3D Manufacturing of Smart Systems) was launched. The goal of the project is to develop hybrid 3D manufacturing methods, which should be used for first-time-right production of intelligent systems for lighting and automotive products. Together with eleven partners in total from Germany and the Netherlands (among others Philips Lighting, TNO, Bosch, and Fraunhofer IFAM), technologies will be developed for additive manufacturing processes, electrical 3D structures, 3D assembly groups, and components.
Xenon’s tasks within the project mainly relate to the development and integration of new manufacturing technologies. This is meant to initiate an examination of techniques for the final assembly of so-called smart parts combined with additive production technologies. In a second part of the project, the development of high-precision, flexible pick-and-place systems with 3D functionality will be observed. Other topics include the research and development of connection technologies as well as the realization of 3D assembly Demonstrators.

As reported in Dresden’s local media, the kick-off meeting for the EU project titled “productive4.0 (microelectronics and information technology for the adoption of Industry 4.0 in supply chains)” took place on 19 May 2017 in Dresden. In the presence of Saxon premier Stanislaw Tillich, representatives of the European Commission and BMBF ceremoniously delivered the subsidy pledge to the project consortium.
The project combines the cooperation of 109 partners in total from 19 European countries, and represents a project of unprecedented size concerning the number of partners and the amount of subsidies. Key partners include BMW, Philips, Infineon, ABB, SAP, NXP, STM and BOSCH among others. The goal of the project is to achieve a marked improvement in the fields of electronics and circuit-carrier technologies by the consistent digitalization of processes. This affects the sub-areas of digital production, value chains and management of product life cycles.
XENON’s work regarding this project relates to the development of concepts for the automation of non-standard production processes and their integration in existing automated in-line concepts. As a use case, smart and intelligent automation solutions for non-contact wafer handling are to be developed in cooperation with Infineon Dresden and ZS-Handling. To this end, a hardware demonstrator will be created as proof of functionality for key processes.