Bachelor-/ Master Thesis: »Simulation of fluid dynamics in the rotating Laser Powder Bed Process«

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft ( is one of the world’s leading organizations for application-oriented research. 75 institutes develop pioneering technologies for our economy and society – more precisely: 32 000 people from technology, science, administration and IT.

At the Fraunhofer IPT in Aachen, more than 530 employees are working every day to make the production of the future more digital, more flexible, and more sustainable.

In the Laser Systems and Heating Technologies group, we develop innovative laser systems for the modern production of the future. Our unique machinery at the Fraunhofer IPT covers prototypical processes of additive manufacturing, micro welding and targeted heating processes as well as ablation processes with high-power lasers.

Within the scope of your thesis, you will investigate the current state of the art of process simulations in the field of laser-based additive manufacturing processes. Based on your research, you will carry out a melt pool and powder bed simulation for a highly dynamic rotating powder bed process. The thesis will be completed by validating your simulation results. You will work on part of your tasks on site at our machine park.

Be part of change

• Researching the state of the art and the fluid dynamic behavior of powders and melts
• Carrying out basic powder analyses to determine the fluid dynamics
• Development of simulation-based investigations to determine behavior
• Validation of the results in a real system

What you contribute

• You are studying mechanical engineering, physics or a comparable subject
• Initial knowledge of FEM simulation with programs such as Ansys is an advantage
• Ideally, you have some experience with lasers or additive manufacturing processes
• An independent way of working and enjoy interdisciplinary teamwork
• Good language skills in German and/or English

What we offer

• Scientific work on a current and practice-relevant topic
• Professional supervision and technical support during the preparation of your thesis
• A state-of-the-art machine park equipped with edge cloud systems and 5G infrastructure

Interested? Apply online now. We look forward to getting to know you!

For any further information on this position please contact:

Jan-Hendrik Koch M.Sc.
Research Associate Laser System and Heating Technologies
Phone: