IFUM - Institut für Umformtechnik und Umformmaschinen

Name

IFUM - Institut für Umformtechnik und Umformmaschinen

Legal name

Leibniz Universität Hannover

Website

https://ifum.uni-hannover.de

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial research services (metal forming technology)

NAICS

Primary Metal Manufacturing (331), Other Aluminum Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding (331318)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Sheet Metal Work (3444)

akta.pro primary industry

Materials, Metallurgy & Heat Treatment (Manufacturing-focused) (EDAOAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sheet Metal Fabrication & Light-Gauge Metalwork Training (EDAOADAD), Aluminum Fabrication & Finishing (Machining, Anodizing, Coating) (IMAKACAI)

Keywords

• Metal forming research
• Process simulation services
• Material characterization testing
• Forming process optimization
• Contract research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: As a research institute at Leibniz University Hannover, IFUM receives base funding through the German public university system. Research activities are funded through grants from German Research Foundation (DFG), EU research programs, and state-level funding.
2. Industry Research Contracts: Contract research and consulting services for industry partners seeking solutions to forming technology challenges. Projects include feasibility studies, tool development, process optimization, and material testing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IFUM is a university research institute conducting basic and application-oriented research in metal forming technology. It sells contract research, feasibility studies, simulation services, and material/tribological testing to industrial partners, and delivers university-level education in forming technology to engineering students. Offerings include forming tool and process design, FE-based process simulation, tribological and wear investigations, optical component analysis, machine measurement, and material characterization.

Product overview

IFUM (Institut für Umformtechnik und Umformmaschinen) is a research institute at Leibniz University Hannover focused on forming technology research and industry cooperation. The institute offers a comprehensive portfolio of research areas including sheet metal forming, bulk metal forming, forming machines, and material characterization and simulation. The institute provides services to industry partners including technological process design, tribological process investigation, optical component analysis, machine measurement, material characterization, and numerical process investigation. The institute maintains extensive equipment including various presses (hydraulic, eccentric, spindle), testing machines, and metrology equipment for both experimental and virtual research. Educational offerings include lectures, tutorials, and practical courses in forming technology for students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forming Technology Process Design Services Consulting and development services for new forming tools and processes, including process design, tool concept development, feasibility analyses, and process scalability assessment, delivered to industrial manufacturing partners.
• Tribological Process Investigation Friction characterization and wear testing services for forming processes, including ring crush tests, strip drawing tests, and wear mechanism analysis under industrial-like conditions, for industrial partners facing tribological challenges.
• Optical Component Analysis Topographical and geometrical measurement services for components and tools using GOM Atos 2 400 3D scanning and Keyence VR-3200 profilometry systems, for industry and academic customers requiring precise geometric data.
• Machine Measurement Static and dynamic press measurement services according to DIN 55189 and VDI 3145 standards, including table and ram deflection measurement using GOM Pontos, provided to industrial press operators and machine builders.
• Material Characterization Comprehensive material testing services including flow curve determination, phase transformation analysis (ZTA/ZTU diagrams), damage characterization, and nanoscale surface analysis using the TriboIndenter Hysitron TI 950.
• Numerical Process Simulation FE simulation services for sheet metal forming, bulk metal forming, and biomedical applications using LS-DYNA, Abaqus, Simufact Forming, Forge NxT, Moldflow, and Autoform, supporting virtual process development for industry partners.
• Forming Technology Educational Courses University-level courses including Forming Technology Fundamentals, Forming Technology Machines, Finite Element Method in Forming Technology, and specialized seminars on topics like Tailored Forming and Open Die Forging, delivered to engineering students at Leibniz Universität Hannover.
• Press Hardening Simulation Numerical process investigation specifically for press hardening applications, including heat treatment simulation and tool load analysis, for automotive and supplier industry customers.
• Damage Analysis and Modelling Parametrization and validation of damage models for sheet metal forming, including stress-based damage models and conventional forming limit diagrams, for industry partners developing forming processes.
• Life-cycle Assessment for Tools Tool life prediction under thermomechanical loading using models such as Coffin-Manson-Basquin and Sehitoglu approaches, delivered to forging and press tool manufacturers.
• Wear Calculation Services Numerical wear prediction for forging tools considering hardness development of hot-working steels during operation, for forging industry customers.
• Simulation of Fibre-Reinforced Plastics Process simulation for fibre-reinforced plastics including organic sheets, UD tapes, sandwich composites, and GMT materials, for lightweight construction industry customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research outcomes published in academic journals and presented at international conferences
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SFB 1153 (Collaborative Research Centre 1153)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFUM is a key participant in the Collaborative Research Centre 1153 'Tailored Forming' at Leibniz University Hannover, focused on developing novel process chains for producing load-adapted hybrid solid components. This DFG-funded project involves multiple university institutes working on design, semi-finished product manufacture, forming, post-processing, quality assurance, and service life testing.
• WGP (Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Produktionstechnik)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFUM participates in WGP activities including the annual congress, representing the scientific association for production technology in Germany. WGP brings together leading German production engineering institutes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IUT - Institute of Metal Forming, TU Bergakademie Freiberg: University institute specializing in metal forming with strong materials/forming coupling. Closely comparable to IFUM in research focus and contract research activity.
• Fraunhofer IWU: Germany's largest applied research institute for production technology including forming, machining, and joining. Directly comparable as a contract research provider serving the same automotive, aerospace, and tooling customers as IFUM, but with substantially greater scale and budget.
• LFT - Institute of Manufacturing Technology, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg: FAU Erlangen institute for manufacturing/forming technology. Directly comparable as a WGP member institute conducting forming research and engaging industry through contract work.
• IFA - Institut für Fertigungstechnik und Angewandte Materialforschung, Leibniz Universität Hannover: Sibling production technology institute at the same university (PZH cluster). Directly comparable as a co-located WGP institute offering forming-adjacent contract research, materials testing, and simulation.
• IWF - Institute for Machine Tools and Factory Management, TU Berlin: TU Berlin institute covering forming technology within a wider production engineering mandate. Comparable to IFUM in forming research scope and university-industry collaboration model; WGP peer.
• IKP - Institute for Metal Forming Technology, University of Stuttgart: University institute focused on metal forming research and education, also a WGP member. Closely comparable to IFUM in mission (research + teaching + industry collaboration) and core subject (sheet and bulk metal forming).
• IUL - Institute of Forming Technology and Lightweight Components, TU Dortmund: TU Dortmund institute covering forming technology with a strong lightweight components focus. Directly comparable in research scope, industry partnership model, and educational role.
• WZL - Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering, RWTH Aachen: One of Europe's largest production engineering research institutes covering forming, machining, and assembly. Comparable to IFUM as a WGP peer serving industry with contract research, though with broader scope and much larger headcount.
• iPAT - Institute of Surface and Product Technology, TU Braunschweig: TU Braunschweig institute covering production technology and material processing. Comparable as a WGP peer and German university institute with industry contract research.

Broad incumbents

• Simufact (Hexagon): Commercial forming simulation software vendor (part of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence). Comparable as a counterpart in the forming simulation ecosystem — IFUM is a research user and co-developer (wrinkle detection in Simufact Forming v.16) and Simufact is the commercial productizer of those methods.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifum-luh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IFUM - Institut für Umformtechnik und Umformmaschinen