Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design TechnologyFor 50 years, application-oriented research in Charlottenburg has shaped the future of production. In the mid-1970s, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK was founded as an initiative of the Institute for Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF) at the Technische Universität Berlin. To mark its milestone anniversary in 2026, the institute has summarized its history in 50 short stories.
History of production research on Charlottenburg's Spreebogen
On September 1, 1976, »IPA-Berlin« − as Fraunhofer IPK was known in its early years − began its work. Starting with only three employees, the institute developed into a scientific institution of international renown within a few years. Growth in the early years was so rapid that the institute had to move and rent additional space several times before it could move to its current location in the Production Technology Center (PTZ) Berlin on Charlottenburg's Spreebogen in 1986, together with the Institute for Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF) of the Technische Universität Berlin.
Since then, the institute has seen and experienced a lot. From the fall of the Berlin Wall and the resulting upheavals to the current environmental and social challenges that industry must adapt to. The institute's research work has evolved from an initial focus on automated manufacturing solutions to supporting the entire process chain of industrial companies. Technological trends from the early days of »automated drawing production« to advances in manufacturing automation, to Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence have played an important role in this development. What is now referred to as »digitally integrated production« is a guiding principle that has driven the institute from the very beginning: How can industrial production be made more efficient and powerful with digital and, later, networked solutions, while at the same time focusing on the people working in manufacturing?
An overview with extensive photographic material
To mark the 50th anniversary of Fraunhofer IPK, we are publishing this overview of the history of Berlin’s oldest Fraunhofer Institute. Through 50 short, richly illustrated articles, the publication traces how it all began, highlights the projects that stand out in the institute’s history, and examines the events and technological innovations that have significantly shaped the institute’s development.
