Rikard Söderberg, Kristina Wärmefjord and Lars Lindkvist receive Chalmers Areas of Advance Prize 2022. Active in geometry assurance and robust design, they have had the ability to combine scientific excellence with industrial relevance. Their work forms a basis for the development of the competence centre Wingquist Laboratory, and Chalmers' strong international positioning in sustainable production, read parts of the justification.
Modern production is a complex process where many manufactured parts, often produced by different suppliers, are assembled into a final product. Too large variations and deviations in manufacturing and assembly can mean both functional and aesthetic problems, which is both resource-demanding and costly.
Kristina Wärmefjord“Traditionally, these problems have been solved with a large number of prototypes and pre-series in combination with several development loops - a very time-consuming and expensive process. Nowadays, it is common to use digital models as base for production decisions,” says Kristina Wärmefjord, Assistant Director at Wingquist Laboratory.
Higher quality and reduced costs
The accuracy of a digital model is reflected largely on the quality of the input data, and how advanced simulations that can be made. This virtual reality must also be visualized in an understandable and correct way. Being able to simulate and reduce the effect of geometric variation in early development phases saves a lot of time and money and contributes to higher quality in the final product.
Rikard Soderberg"Using simulation models as digital twins during ongoing production, enhances the opportunity to further reduce the effect of variation, which makes a more individual and tailored production possible. The simulation methods are general and applicable to traditional production but can also be adapted for new areas such as additive manufacturing, battery production and megacasting,” says Rikard Söderberg, leader of the research group Geometry assurance and robust design, and Director of the Wingquist Laboratory.
Close collaboration with the industry
Rikard Söderberg, Kristina Wärmefjord and Lars Lindkvist have over 20 years of research experience on how simulation and digital solutions can be used to streamline the production process, from concept to production. The research group Geometry assurance and robust design has during this time established itself as one of the foremost in the world in its field. The research is conducted in close collaboration with industry, and both Swedish and international companies are today using the RD&T software, which is a result of their research.Logo
The competence centre Wingquist Laboratory, founded back in 2000, has played an important part in the knowledge transfer to industry, and as an academic interdisciplinary platform. Wingquist Laboratory brings together four research groups at Chalmers and Fraunhofer-Chalmers-Centre and envisions a fully digital product realization process, without the need for physical prototypes or testing.
“The aim and purpose of Wingquist Laboratory has always been to combine scientific challenges with industrially important areas. We have also worked very actively to ensure that the research knowledge is transferred to the industry for best possible utilization. We are very happy that Chalmers recognize our work with the Areas of Advance Prize,” says Rikard Söderberg.
- Head of Department, Industrial and Materials Science