Nanotechnology and microsystems technology in North Rhine-Westphalia
Nanotechnology and microsystems technology unite various scientific disciplines and are expected to play a pivotal role in the 21st century. The strong research infrastructure and the close links between science and industry in NRW have speeded up the pace of innovation. North Rhine-Westphalian nano/microtechnology enterprises profit from the dynamism of this market and ensure that the state occupies a leading position in these crossover technologies within Germany and throughout Europe.
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Broad-based research infrastructure NRW
Around 215 research establishments in NRW – including ten Fraunhofer Institutes and three Max Planck Institutes – are engaged in nanotechnology research. In addition, NRW is home to two further centers of excellence: the NanoBioAnalytics Center in Münster (NBZ) and the NanoEnergyTechnologyCenter (NETZ) at Duisburg-Essen University. Europe's first interdisciplinary center for applied nanotechnology, CeNTech, is located in Münster. A major focus of microsystems research is the MST Cluster in Dortmund. With 40 companies and more than 1,700 employees, MST is one of the largest clusters in Europe.
Nanotechnology enterprises in NRW
Microsystems enterprises in NRW
Category Nanotechnology / microsystemetechnology / photonics
Region Muensterland
Cut to Saerbeck, Westphalia: the year is 1982 and SAERTEX is setting out to combine its production know-how on textile surfaces with a path breaking concept to develop and manufacture industrial textiles from a mix of glass fibre, carbon and aramide. What follows is a success story! Mechanical resistances differ depending on the fibre type, surface load, angle combination and direction. The Non Crimp Fabrics (NCF) obtained in this way for the composites industry to make extremely resilient components in aircrafts, bridges, ships and cars are considerably lighter than conventional materials. Innovative composites made by SAERTEX play a key role, for instance, in the wings of the world's biggest carrier aircraft, the Airbus A380. The growth in demand can also be put down to the booming wind energy sector. Today, the SAERTEX Group is a global player with 8 subsidiaries in 7 countries, spread over 4 continents, but the Muensterland headquarters of this pioneering company remains the centre of operations. All departments the world over are controlled from here.
