Plastics Innovation Center 4.0 Inaugurated at RWTH Aachen University

Research and Development RWTH Aachen University opens state-of-the-art Plastics Innovation Center 4.0

2024-04-15 Source: Institute for Plastics Processing 2 min Reading Time

Recently, the Plastics Innovation Center 4.0 (PIC 4.0) was officially inaugurated with an opening ceremony at the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University. The new centre marks a milestone in research and development in the field of plastics production and its digitalisation.

At the PIC 4.0, the participants of the opening ceremony visited various test stands.(Source: IKV) — At the PIC 4.0, the participants of the opening ceremony visited various test stands.
(Source: IKV)

The new Plastics Innovation Center 4.0, located on the Melaten campus of RWTH Aachen University, is a state-of-the-art research centre equipped with a fully digitalised infrastructure. This infrastructure enables comprehensive and practical research into the challenges of digitalisation in plastics production. The construction of the PIC 4.0 was funded with a total volume of 19.5 million euros by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and by money from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The PIC 4.0 will serve as an important meeting point for small and medium-sized companies in the plastics industry to obtain support in technical and organisational issues connected with digitalised processes. At the same time, innovative technologies and digitalisation approaches are tested here in order to make abstract concepts tangible for industrial application and make its benefits transparent.

Mauritius Schmitz, Scientific Director for Digitalisation at IKV, talked about the PIC 4.0 and its targets. He stressed the importance of digital methods for overcoming the complexity of the challenges in plastics production. The PIC 4.0, he said, was closely connected with the Excellence Cluster, Internet of Production at RWTH Aachen University, and functioned as one of the hubs of pioneering research in the field of digital engineering on the Campus Melaten.

Bernd Reifenhäuser, CEO of the Reifenhäuser Group and Deputy Chairman of the IKV Association of Sponsors, emphasised the corporate challenges and opportunities of digitalisation. He emphasised the decisive role of the PIC 4.0 as a testing laboratory for innovative ideas before they are put into industrial practice. As CEO of a medium-sized company, he said he knows from experience that digitalisation necessitates a fundamental rethinking. “Digitalisation does not mean merely introducing new technologies but also adapting and extending knowledge, procedures and qualifications. The possibility of testing ideas on a laboratory scale before they are converted into industrial practice can save companies a lot of time and money. The PIC 4.0 offers all the possible linkage points for this.”

Finally, Reifenhäuser and the Head of the Institute for Plastics Processing, Professor Christian Hopmann, were very pleased indeed about the founding and corporate spirit of the two latest spin-offs of the Institute, Osphim and Layer Performance, which have already successfully turned ideas from research for digitalisation in the PIC 4.0 into marketable products and solutions. The brief lecture from Louisa Desel, co-founder of the Osphim start-up, showed for example how intelligent process optimisation in injection moulding can function with the help of data-based methods and expert knowledge. Also Layer Performance takes advantage of the possibilities of digitalisation and develops software that enables the creation of three-dimensional machine pathways for additive manufacturing. Both spin-offs, said Bernd Reifenhäuser concluding, illustrate the courage and will to innovate, which the plastics industry now needs. Afterwards, all visitors to the opening ceremony were invited to tour the PIC 4.0.

(ID:49998655)

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.