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We have developed the first intelligent cleaning lance as a means of guaranteeing a reliable and reproducible manual cleaning process for the first time. The sensors integrated into this device log the process automatically and the data is subsequently transferred to an AR device (glasses, a tablet or a smartphone), which then projects a real-time “digital twin” onto the physical cleaning environment. Between May 14 and 19, 2022, we will be attending the IFFA trade fair to showcase our cleaning lance along with other solutions for automated processes that comply with hygiene standards, and our developments that use high-quality proteins as alternatives to meat. Stop by and see us in hall 11.1, stand B70!

In CIRCULAR FoodPack, an EU project launched in 2021, we focus on using recycled plastic materials from waste streams (food packaging and other packaging) to create new packaging designed for the food industry. To determine how much packaging is not recyclable or difficult to recycle, we determine the material composition and investigate the film structures, taking into account household waste streams and national variations.

We are creating an automated process for measuring the psychophysiological impact of everyday odorants on customers, with the aim of making it easier to achieve successful outcomes in developing cosmetics, fragrances and similar products. In the future, the PhysioToolbox will considerably simplify and optimize the previously time-consuming process of manually recording and evaluating data.

"Operator support in the smart factory" and "Cleaning 4.0" are the topics of the expert presentations by Paul Weber and Max Hesse as part of the technical program at Anuga FoodTec 2022. Our scientists will use concrete, practice-oriented solution concepts and technology developments to demonstrate how the digital transformation can be successfully implemented in the practice of Industry 4.0.

Drawing on our many years of experience in microbiological validation of disinfection technologies, we can provide you with support in evaluating the effectiveness of air cleaning/disinfection devices. We test mobile devices under realistic conditions and help to optimize them further.

After a year full of digital encounters, the entire Fraunhofer IVV team now wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. . With a Christmas video message, Prof. Andrea Büttner and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Peter Majschak would like to thank you for your trust and the good cooperation.

The food as well as the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries are relying increasingly on natural materials and recycled packaging. However, sustainability plays an important role in technological processes such as cleaning and hygiene too. Our team, which is made up of different disciplines, has the right knowledge and experts with complementary expertise to organize sustainable product development along the entire process chain: From the raw materials via the machine processes to the packaged product. More about this can be found in an interview with our team published in the SOFW Journal. In this interview, we show how the cosmetics industry, for instance, can benefit from our multidisciplinary expertise. Contact us! We support you towards more sustainability!

The EU project “CIRCULAR FoodPack” was launched in June 2021. Fourteen companies and research institutes are working under our coordination to facilitate the circular use of plastic packaging for even the most sensitive product category: foods. During this project, tracer-based sorting systems will be used to separate food and non-food packaging, mechanical and solvent-based recycling processes will be improved and innovative mono-material packaging that will be easy to sort and recycle will be developed for food and body care products. The aim is to recycle packaging in a closed loop, enabling its use for direct contact with food.

A large ceremony on June 16, 2021 celebrated the opening of the PolyStyrene Loop Recycling facility in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, which represents a major step toward the processing of expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulating materials from demolition and renovation work. The first recycled plastic materials are currently being generated in the demonstration facility, making it the first industrial implementation of the Fraunhofer-developed CreaSolv® process for contaminated waste. With our process, even EPS containing the banned flame retardant HBCD can be turned into non-toxic recycled materials, which can then be used to produce new insulation.

The “Pack Peel Scan” measurement device, developed at Fraunhofer IVV together with practice partner IMA Ingenieurgesellschaft für Maschinenbau und Anlagen GmbH, enables intelligent pull force measurement of peelable packaging during production according to the DIN 55409–T2 standard. Thanks to the innovative integration of AI applications and a task-oriented HMI, “Pack Peel Scan” isn’t just a functioning device to measure opening force, but also a digitalization solution for the demands faced by the pioneering design of packaging processes. “Pack Peel Scan” is available now for use in the industrial production of food, medical products and cosmetics.