Events

Webinar: "Reducing Ramp-Up Costs: Digital Tools and Local Ecosystems in US Battery Manufacturing”

Date: 25 September 2025

Expert Talk- featuring prominent speakers, including Kyle Veugeler, Technical Account Manager for Batteries at Siemens USA and  Christoph Baum, Head of the Fraunhofer Competence Center for Battery Cell Production USA. Speaker will share insights on the future of US battery manufacturing over the next five years.

Body-In-White Metal Forming

• Date: 24-26 September 2025
• Location: Automation Alley Troy MI

Organized vby Leading Insights- Sponsored by Fraunhofer USA

The automotive world is changing – faster and more profoundly than ever before. New drive systems, disrupted supply chains, and a growing skills gap are just the beginning. The real shift is happening at the core: in how vehicles are designed, manufactured, and assembled. At this event insights and tools for tomorrow’s car body production landscape were shared and discussed.

This event was more than a conference—supported by Fraunhofer’s leadership in applied research and innovation, it’s a gateway to the future of automotive manufacturing. 

Final Agenda

Shaping the Future of Manufacturing 

• Date: 16-17th September 2025
• Location: The Westin, Cleveland OH

MX.0 showcases manufaturing excellence in building data-driven productivity and efficiency acorss the plant floor and wider bussines. The event has practical, tried and tested  examples of digital transformation for manufacturers of different sizes, at different points in their implementation journey. 

As part of  two days of presentations, panels, facilitated group and classroom style sessions, plus networking breaks and exhibitor pitches,  Fraunhofer USA's Marcel Schaefer  joined Peterson Lindo (BMW) to discuss AI in Action on the Shop Floor.

SC Competes Fall Summit

Date: 9-11 Sept. 2025

Locations: 

• 9 Sept: Greenville County Schools CTE Innovation Center at Roper Mountain
• 10 Sept: Peace Center Gunter Theatre, Downtown Greenville
• 11 Sept:  AC Hotel, Downtown Greenville

Fraunhofer USA Inc. is proud to sponsor the SC Competes Fall Summit. It is bringing together tech, cyber, aerospace, logistics, and workforce leaders for an action packed agenda focused on AI, automation, energy, education, and economic development.

Join us for the entire event and in particular on Sept 11, when our colleagues Dr. Marcel Schaefer and Dr. Christoph Baum explain the tremendoius advantage of the SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance. 

• From Challenge to Solution: Leveraging SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance Matching Grants 

Panel Discussion- AC Hotel - Reedy Hall 3

• Leveraging SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance Matching Grants | One on one meetings

Smart Manufacturing for Automotive Summit 

• Date: 9 September 2025
• Location: DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel, Detroit Downtown, MI
• Event Webpage: Smart Manufacturing for Automotive Summit 2025

Marcel Schaefer, Senior Program Coordinator, Fraunhofer USA Inc, is joining this event with the topic:

"AI in Manufacturing: Overcoming Challenges in People, Process, and Poor Data". 

Through an array of interactive sessions, the summit will unite automotive Industry 4.0 experts to debate and discuss how AI and emerging technologies can reduce costs, close skills gaps, and future-proof operations.

The following speakers are slated to speak:

• Jeffrey Liaw, Global Director, Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Martinrea
• Dan Drouin, VP Industry 4.0, Lear Corporation
• Vinodhini Pandiselvan, Staff Digital Product Manager, Rivian
• Nick Alexander, Manufacturing Project Innovation Center: Adv Tech – Senior Manager, Toyota Motor North America
• Maria Rossana Ruiz, Adv Feas. Controls Engineer, Ford Motor Company
• Fernando Bera, Engineering Supervisor and Smart Factory Coordinator, ZF Group
• Murugan Boominathan, Senior Analyst, Manufacturing Solutions Magna IT – Industrial Solutions, Magna
• Muhammad Anas, Digital Transformation Specialist, Gestamp
• Trent Randles, Engineering & Operational Excellence Manager, BorgWarner
• Marcel Schafer, Senior Program Coordinator, Fraunhofer USA Inc
• Madhu Rao, Sr. Manager, OE Automotive Engineering, Hankook Tire America Corp

Explore how smart manufacturing can unlock the agility and resilience the industry needs.

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Biomaterials International 2025

Dates: 13-17th July 2025

Location: University of Washington, Seattle WA

Fraunhofer USA CMI presented: 

• Topic: #1077 Wet spun textile-derived konjac glucomannan scaffolds: a cost-effective alternative for cultivated meat production 
• Presenter: David Pietri, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Biomedical engineering
• Date: 16 July at 2:00 p.m.
• Location: Auditorium

We successfully developed a scalable, low-cost konjac glucomannan fibers using wet spinning — a textile-inspired method to produce cultivated meat scaffolds. These fibers support both muscle and fat cell differentiation, making it an affordable and scalable technique alternative to bioprinting for cultivated meat.W

This project was made possible thanks to our interdisciplinary team at Fraunhofer USA. At Fraunhofer USA, we specialize in cross-sector innovation, combining automation, manufacturing, and life sciences to solve complex problems across industries. From biomedical devices to energy, we apply industrial-scale engineering to accelerate applied R&D and support academic, government, and industry partners.

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Fraunhofer USA CMW Open House

Date: July 16th

Location: 1449 Engineering Research Ct, East Lansing, MI 48824

During the open house, visitors were welcomed into our laboratories to explore the technologies and projects that define our work. This includes:

• Diamond materials and devices: Explore how we grow, process, and polish custom diamonds for use in electronics, optics, quantum sensing, and even outer space environments.
• Thin film and advanced coatings: Learn how we create protective and functional surfaces used in cutting tools, biomedical devices, packaging materials, and more.
• Water treatment innovations: See how electrochemical oxidation, plasma, and photocatalysis are used to address pollutants like PFAS, pesticides, and disinfection byproducts in wastewater and drinking water.
• Additive manufacturing and materials processing: Get a close-up look at our 3D printing lab, where we work with high-performance plastics, metals, and ceramics to create custom parts for applications in medicine, transportation, and research.
• Electrochemical sensing and analysis: Discover our work in building custom electrodes and sensing systems used for environmental monitoring, biomedical diagnostics, and neurotransmitter detection.
• Thermal surface processes: Your partner in applied research, we develop innovative, resource-saving solutions in materials, lasers, and systems. Specializing in thermal surface treatment and coating, we focus on system and coating development, process monitoring, and intelligent evaluation for automated production.

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Fraunhofer USA PFAS Workshop

Date: 18 June 2025

Location: STEM Building, East Lansing

• Keynote Spakers from Industry, Academia and Fraunhofer/Fraunhofer USA adressed:
• Raise awareness about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) 
• Highlight public concerns and risks associated with PFAS exposure 
• Showcase current innovative removal and destruction technologies of PFAS

For more information contact: cmw (at) fraunhofer.org 

Innovate with Confidence - Fraunhofer Workshop

Date: 3 June 2025

Location: Automation Ally, Troy MI

Keynote speaker, Kyle Veugeler from Siemens, along with colleageus from Fraunhofer USA and Fraunhofer IST, toutlined the technical and environmental feasibility of emerging technologies, including a best practice example of vacuum coatings for battery manufacturing. Through a focus on life cycle thinking, we provided an assessment tools that make sustainability measurable.

SVCTechCon Nashville 17-22 May 2025

Automate Detroit 12-15 May 2025

ITSC Vancouver  5-8 May 2025 

SC Competes Spring Summit- Headline Sponsor 

Date: April 29-30, 2025

Location for SCFUSA Battery Symposium: Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, SC

The Spring Summit showcased the future of our signature clusters and initiatives in the Palmetto State and celebrate 20 years of SC Competes mission of collaboration and competitiveness. Over 3 exciting days, this Summit brought together top leaders, innovators, and students from Aerospace, Logistics, Technology, Battery, and Workforce innovations to share insights, explore emerging trends, and foster collaboration amongst all who join. Attendees experienced dynamic presenters, student showcase, a B2B networking event, and a variety of exhibitors.

Together with Fraunhofer USA, SCFUSA Battery Symposium was back for a third year. Our Battery experts and SC battery companies took the stage at the Spring Summit, focused on South Carolina’s future in the Battery Production, Safety, and Recycling. SC Battery Symposium which was held on April 30th.

4th MX.0 Southeast 

When: April 22 - 24, 2025

Where: Hyatt Regency Greenville, SC

Fraunhofer USA was proud to contribute to the 4th MX.0 Southeast event. Returning to beautiful downtown Greenville, SC, MX.0 Southeast expands to two full days of conference sessions and a dedicated factory tour day in 2025.

Our colleague Marcel Schaefer was part of a Panel Discussion: How to Start, Scale & Survey the Success of AI & ML Initiatives to Take Advantage of the Hype!

Interview with Marcel Schaefer