Prof.em. Dr Konrad Wegener was Full Professor of Production Engineering and Machine Tools at ETH Zurich from October 2003 to July 2023 and headed the IWF (Institute for Machine Tools and Manufacturing) and the working groups iwf and irpd of inspire AG, a transfer centre for production engineering at ETH Zurich. He is now Senior Advisor to inspire AG.

His research areas include machine tools, machining, electrical discharge machining, laser material processing, additive manufacturing and manufacturing process chains. He has established and developed inspire AG and has published numerous papers in renowned journals.

Prof.em. Dr. Wegener enjoys an excellent international reputation, both at ETH Zurich and in industry, as evidenced by his activities on various committees.

Prof.em. Dr. Konrad Wegener / ETH Zurich

 

What made you decide to join the Scientific Advisory Board of our research centre? 

As a member of the scientific advisory board, I would particularly like to share my experience in developing a knowledge and technology transfer center and to establish points of contact for Swiss industry. Additionally, I aim to promote cooperation and networking with other research institutions. 

 

How do you see your role in the strategic development of RhySearch? What goals would you like to achieve as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board? Advisory Board of RhySearch? What are your priorities? 

Cooperation and networking with other research institutions, universities, and industry partners is a central concern for me. I also aim to specifically promote support for project development with Swiss and Liechtenstein industry. 

 

Which trends and developments will be relevant for RhySearch in the future? What topics are you most excited about? How can these be turned into opportunities? 

In the future, integrative projects with a high degree of interdisciplinarity will become even more important—for example, projects that span entire process chains and life cycles, as well as simulations for the optimization of manufacturing processes. Other exciting topics include circular economy and sustainability, energy efficiency, and, of course, digitalization and artificial intelligence. 

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