The research of the Institute of production technologies is oriented to the industrial technologies with respect to research and development in the sphere of high-tech technologies. The main fields of the industrial technologies at the Institute of production technologies are: machining, forming, foundry and welding.
Key directions of scientific research activity at the Institute of production technologies are focused on the support of the development of individual science and educational branches. It is safeguarded to the responsibilities for the special growth of workers. The attention is devoted first to the actual and prospective questions related to industrial technologies in conditions of SR, at which are made provisions for international trends as well as the integration processes to EU. The mark of scientific research work and activity is determined by originality of the scientific orientation of the teachers and scientific research workers, the material supply of the main workstations and the solution of scientific and socially best-known questions of social work. The Institute of production technologies is oriented to the trans-regional pedagogic and scientific activity in many aspects, cooperates with and is enlarging the co-operation with the more renowned scientific research institutes abroad. International co-operation in research is implemented mainly with the exchange of information, results, knowledge for education of PhD students (fellowships, educational visits, workshops).
The scientific directions of our main workstations are determined for the long term and cover the production and technological aspects of exploitation of all resources and solutions of actual questions in given branches. The layout of projects is oriented mostly to the production technologies in co-operation with industrial practices on the basis of actual global problems.
The central spheres of our scientific research are:
Production and control of components with complex forms and strict surface
Numerical simulation and optimization of production in surface and volume forming of metallic materials - prediction of formability
Modification of surfaces of stainless steel with plasma discharge in electrolytes
Art casting
Classical and special methods of joining and cutting metallic and non-metallic materials
Tribology and surface engineering
All important and original results are presented at our institute, at seminars and conferences at home and abroad, and are published in reviewed or non-reviewed scientific journals and in professional journals.
The results from the research activities are transferred to the educational process within specific subjects and also for the solution of bachelor, diploma and PhD works.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Centre of Excellence for Five-Axis Machining (CE)
Five-axis machining is one of the main trends in cutting technology used for mould production. The term five-axis machining means cutting machine tools through which the movement carried out moves in five different axes simultaneously. The benefit of five-axis machining is the machine's ability to machine complex shapes in a single set-up and achieve a uniform surface with roughness being cultivated.
The Centre will have the opportunity to realize the basic research on 5-axis machining of complex shape parts, including control and measurement and will also be able to monitor the quality of cutting fluids and cutting processes. It will be able to provide for all levels of learning in education together with establishing an experimental base for doctoral researchers from Slovak and foreign universities, and also practitioners.
The ambition of the project is to help mould and die manufacturers (developers, designers, technologists, quality control persons, supervisors, young starting engineers and also skilled senior engineers) to mostly find theoretical and practical orientation (guidance) in this difficult cutting process of five-axis machining.