Science Meets Practice: Students of KIT's Master Program Visit PI
About 30 students of the master's program in Mechanical Engineering as well as employees of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) learned about the practical use of piezo technology in high-tech industry at PI in early February 2023.
During the excursion to PI led by Prof. Dr. Manfred Kohl, the KIT students and employees were informed about the importance of piezo technology in the production or in use for a variety of high-tech products such as microchips, smartphones, or devices for the genetic analysis of viruses.
Mathias Winter, Director Technology Center - Piezo Drives & Systems - Global, gave the students an overview of the drive principles used at PI and presented industrially manufactured PI systems that use this technology and perform highly precise movements in the nanometer range. For comparison, a human hair has a thickness of 80,000 nanometers.
Rolf Ellerbrock, Business Development Europe, demonstrated, in which applications PI piezo technologies are used:
90 percent of all high-tech companies use our components and systems. We are often involved in basic research and accompany new technologies all the way to industrial use.
Bernhard Geyer, Head of Value Stream - Electronic Devices, answered the upcoming questions of the visitors regarding sensor technology, control technology, and the control side. Their questions ranged from the basic principles of piezo actuators to the working principles of ultrasonic motors and the control of magnetic drives from PI. The visitors were particularly impressed by the large facility used to demonstrate double-sided fiber alignment, in which almost all competencies of the PI Group were brought together.
“We have been pushing the boundaries of the technically feasible for decades already and are growing along with the triumphant march of digitalization in all applications,” said Ellerbrock explaining the company's philosophy and business development.
PI has been working with KIT for decades, promoting the exchange between science and practical applications. The company also supports students in their research for the bachelor's or master's thesis and employs working students. In doing so, students work on a subject-related basis and can turn their theoretical knowledge in real projects into effective practice.
Contact persons:
- Rolf Ellerbrock, Business Development Europe
- Sarah Hurst, HR - Administration
