Frank Kern

In general the high performance ceramics department of IFKB deals with development of new structural ceramic materials and manufacturing technologies to implement them in products. The current focus is on near-net-shape manufacturing of ceramic components by pressing, casting and plastic forming and on non-conventional machining of structural ceramics by EDM. On the materials side emphasis is on oxides, in particular zirconia and zirconia reinforced composite ceramics. Laser direct structuring and metallization of 3D ceramic components manufactured net shape by CIM is a new technology aiming at electronic applications in molded interconnect devices with improved thermal stability.