Prof. Dr. Eckehard Kalhöfer

Since 2003, six companies from the Ostalb region have financed the Endowed Chair of Machining Technology, and from 2008 five. The aim of the Endowed Chair is to strengthen the vocational training of students in Aalen in the field of machining production and machine tools, as well as research in this field.

Donors for the first five years are the companies

• Alfing Kessler Sondermaschinen GmbH
• GSA Gesenkschmiede Schneider GmbH
• Kessler + Co GmbH & Co KG
• Leitz GmbH & Co KG
• Mapal Dr. Kress KG
• RUD-Kettenfabrik Rieger & Dietz GmbH & Co.

From 2008 the Endowed chair will be supported by

• Alfing Kessler Sondermaschinen GmbH
• GSA Gesenkschmiede Schneider GmbH
• Kessler + Co GmbH & Co KG
• LMT Leading Metalworking Technologie GmbH & Co KG
• Mapal Dr. Kress KG.

In addition to the above-mentioned research and teaching, the Endowed Chair supports regional industry through knowledge transfer, e.g. in the form of advice, process optimization, test machining, measurements, etc.

Contact person:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eckehard Kalhöfer
Beethovenstr. 1
73430 Aalen
Phone 07361 576 2313
Fax 07361 576 44 2313

Mrs. Renate Schnepf
Phone 07361 576 2259
Fax 07361 576 2270

The research activities of the Endowed Chair of Machining are in the field (of) machining with geometrically defined cutting edges. Completed research projects are:

• Drilling and reaming of stainless steel (funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg),
• High-performance drilling of austenitic stainless steel (funded by the BMBF),
• Further development of a parting-off tool (in cooperation, cooperative venture partnership, collaboration with the Institute for Materials Engineering, funded by the BMWi)
• Investigations/analyses and optimization of tool vibrations during machining (funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg).

Another research topic is energy-efficient manufacturing. Completed research projects in this field (of) include

• Energy saving potentials in lathes (funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg),
• Energy-efficient tool concepts for machining (funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg).