Professor Dr.-Ing. VolkerAltstädt is recognized for his influential contributions to the advancement and application in the field of Polymer Science and Engineering, both in academia and industry. He has been a dynamic and prominent member of PPS for over 20 years, including organizing the highly successful PPS-29 in Nuremberg in 2013 and contributing strongly to the aspirations and values of the PPS. In addition to making substantial contributions to the education of many engineers in Germany and internationally, he has been an influential contributor to the advancement and application in the field of Polymer Science and Engineering, both in academia and industry. In particular, his innovative contributions in the fields of Polymer Foams and Polymer Composites have had a significant impact on the understanding of the properties and processing of polymers and the successful application of these technologies in various areas of technology. He was honored in Germany for this combination of science and innovation as far back as 2009, when he was elected as a Fellow of the German Academy of Engineering Science (Acatech). Volker Altstädt is continually developing his research area at the University of Bayreuth as well at the research company called “New Materials Bayreuth Ltd.“. By this, he is building on strengths and continuing a remarkable collaboration with industry worldwide, with innovative technologies and products. Important process chains in which he was actively involved include the development and processing of new foam beads of expanded polylactide, polybutylenterephthalat and thermoplastic polyurethane (ePLA, ePBT, eTPU, ePC) in the field of bead foam technology and, recently in 2021, the development in the field of additive manufacturing of a selective laser sintering (SLS) factory, which is fully automated through complete digitization from powder filling to the finished de-powdered component. Two other process chains that have established themselves very successfully in the market. His 44 patents prove his success in the technical implementation of scientific knowledge.
After his university studies in Physics and earning his Ph.D. degree (Dr.-Ing.) to the department of Mechanical Engineering in Kassel (supervisor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ehrenstein) in 1987, Volker Altstädt worked as group leader in the Department of Polymer Physics under the Polymer Research Division of BASF AG in Ludwigshafen for eight years. Since 1995 he has been a Full Professor for Polymers in Mechanical Engineering and head of the Department of Polymers and Polymer Composites at the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg, Germany. From October 2000 to December 2020, Volker Altstädt was Full Professor of the Department of Polymer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering (ING.) at University Bayreuth. Furthermore, from 2009 to 2021 he was CEO of Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH, a Bavarian state R&D-institution in the field of materials and processes for polymers, composites and metals.
The research group of Volker Altstädt was dedicated to scientific and industrial oriented research in the area of polymeric materials, establishing a connection between the natural sciences and engineering technology. Emphasis was placed on the interdisciplinary cooperation among the scientists, bringing together the disciplines of chemistry, physics, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering. Research activities of Volker Altstädt’s group focused on polymer foams, polymer composites and nanocomposites, polymer blends and compatibilization, resin systems and flame protection, special injection molding techniques, with the primary goal of determining the structure-properties relationships and tailoring polymeric materials for specific requirements.