What our future will bring seems more uncertain today than it was 25 years ago. Euphoria, but also pessimism, have given way to a diffuse feeling of over-information and loss of orientation. In a world of highly dynamic, global and unfiltered communication, digital technology is turning into socio-economic dynamics that only visionaries could have predicted a quarter of a century ago and perhaps fantasists half a century ago.

Together with our partners, but also our competitors, we are in the midst of digital transformation. As lightweight engineers, we are called on to actively contribute to digital progresses in the field of Lightweight System Design in order to meet the upcoming economic, ecological and social challenges. We must recognize the potential of digitisation as early as possible and address the relevant challenges for our innovation processes and our products with purposeful dedication. Modern Function-Integrative Lightweight Engineering in Multi-Material Design with the aim of achieving the highest resource efficiency in all stages of the product development and the product life cycle is important here as an interdisciplinary bridge not only between the engineering sciences, but also to mathematics and the natural sciences as well as computer science. Digital methods, which are based on physical and chemical models as well as on expert knowledge and which also exploit the potential of artificial intelligence, are indispensable tools for quickly deciphering the complex interrelationships between material and process parameters and the resulting component and system properties. Smart extensions allow components and processes to be networked and, to the benefit of all of us, accompanied by digital twins across the entire life cycle.

The aim of this International Dresden Lightweight Engineering Symposium is both to briefly review what has been achieved on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology and to highlight the ongoing digital change from a historical perspective. Digitalisation brings people closer together through technology. But how can we bring our technology closer to people? That’s what we would like to discuss with you. Join us on a journey to new digital horizons!

Board of the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology
from left: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Maik Gude, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hubert Jäger, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Niels Modler, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Prof. E. h. Dr. h.c. Werner Hufenbach