Work Package 5: Production Planning, Launch and Quality Management

Production4µ has developed innovative solutions to support the industrial partners in their production planning. To do so, models and methodologies supporting knowledge transfer, cost calculation, production planning and inspection as well as quality management were developed and tested. To conveniently translate them into practice, they were coded into software tools, amongst others a cost calculation tool and a Wiki-based design guide.

Precision glass molding enables the cost-efficient production of extremely precise and complex optical components from glass. In order to communicate the capabilities and the possible use cases of the technology to potential users, Fraunhofer IPT and the Production4µ partners developed “design recommendations”. They present the complex technological interdependencies in a comprehensive, yet practical form, allowing optical designers to benefit from their potential for cost savings and increased functionality. This way, the designers obtain systematic support for a design-for-manufacturability of optical products.

These design recommendations consist of a picture or drawing and a summarizing sentence as well as a more detailed explanation. They can be obtained free of charge via Fraunhofer IPT. 

The diameter deff  of the optical applicable lens surface should be at least 2mm smaller than the total diameter dL of the lens surface.

The Production4µ project is enabling the full process chain for the replicative production of highest precision optical components via precision glass molding. The goal is to increase the competitiveness of the European industry in precision glass molding, and to facilitate the access of industrial customers to the application of this technology. When deciding on the production technology to be employed, optics customers or manufacturers require precise cost information. They need to be able to compare both the product parameters and the costs involved in the technologies of glass molding, glass grinding and polishing and plastic injection molding.

So far, no comprehensive software tool that is able to calculate production costs for all three of these process chains is available. Companies are therefore only able to cover single aspects of the cost calculation with self-made tools that do not allow for a comprehensive evaluation. Consequently, Production4µ developed a methodology and a software tool for a complete and systematic cost calculation that is able to cover entire process chains and to compare them.

An important outcome of the calculations that were done with the cost tool was a comparison of the production costs for the replicative glass molding with the conventional non-replicative processes of grinding and polishing. This comparison was done for various optical products.