In bionics, animals and plants serve as examples for new creative solutions and innovative technical applications. What these are, is being discussed in the Bionics in operation series of events from the Hessian Bionics Network.

In this respect, a specialist meeting, supported by the Hessian Ministry for Economics, a state institution of the German State of Hesse with headquarters in the state capital of Wiesbaden, was held on 13 February at Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik in Obertshausen.

The workshop dealt with the Technical textiles and composite materials theme and  participants came mainly from small and medium-sized companies, from consultancies and from the legal sector – a colourful mixture of practical innovators from the region, who made the workshop into a successful network platform, the company reports.

By practical people for practical people

The lively lectures and well aimed exchange of information between the participants turned the workshop in Obertshausen into a complete success, organizers believe. At the start of the event details were given of the setting up, production, logistics and the development centre of the host.

Arno Gärtner, the Karl Mayer Business Manager, introduced the company and opened the series of reports. During the lectures visitors found out more about the points of contact between the German textile machinery manufacturer and bionics – the company processes fibre based materials, inspired by nature, yet its warp-knitting and raschel machines are used to produce bionic solutions such as Velcro fasteners, fog-catching nets and sun collectors.

Real technological innovations

The Denkendorf Institute for Textile and Research Technology (ITV) and the companies – H. Moldenhauer and EVO solutions – made contributions to the theme Composite materials.

Michael Kieren, a developer at Karl Mayer, said: “We were able to speak to specialists from a wide range of sectors and to see how work is done in other branches of industry. That is very important for our work. In view of the very high level of sophistication of our machines, real technological innovations can today be brought about increasingly only through interdisciplinary cooperation. Ability to see beyond the end of one’s nose is thus necessary.”

www.karlmayer.com