Prof. Dr. Thomas Weiler

After completing his training as a mechatronics technician and two additional years working at Rhodius Schleifwerkzeuge, he studied Mechatronics (Bachelor’s degree) at Aachen University of Applied Sciences. He then completed his Master’s degree specialising in Production Technology at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen.

Following his Master’s, Prof. Weiler remained at RWTH Aachen and completed his doctorate in the field of Lightweight Production Technology, focusing on laser-assisted tape placement of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics. During his doctoral studies, Thomas Weiler worked as a research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT), Aachen, conducting research in composite and laser system technology. Simultaneously, he led a group at the Aachen Centre for Integrative Lightweight Production (AZL) at RWTH Aachen, where he applied his expertise in lightweight production technology to the commercial utilisation of research results.

After completing his doctorate, he worked at the start-up Conbility, where he developed manufacturing machines for lightweight construction and managed various international projects. Additionally, Mr Weiler was employed at AZL Aachen GmbH, an industrial service provider with a partner network of over 80 companies specialising in lightweight construction.

In 2019, Thomas Weiler led his team to win the JEC Award in Paris in the Industry & Equipment category for the development of the Ultra-Fast Consolidator Machine.

Didactically, he is interested in modern teaching concepts such as flipped classroom, project-based, and competence-oriented learning. He is currently developing a new degree programme with a team of colleagues that will extensively utilise these teaching methods.

He teaches in the Bachelor’s programmes Mechanical Engineering, Technology and Management, Industrial Engineering – Mechanical Engineering, as well as in the Master’s programme Technical Production Management.

His areas of expertise include manufacturing processes, machine tools, production-oriented lightweight construction, and sustainably producible product designs.

The best way to reach me is by email at thomas.weiler@hs-ruhrwest.de.

See: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

• Machine Tools and Manufacturing Systems
• Production Processes
• Integrative Lightweight Construction
• Sustainable Production of Sustainable Product Designs
• Sustainable Factory Operations through Circular Economy
• Project Work 1

• Flipped Classroom
• Project-Based Learning
• Competency-Oriented Teaching

• Collection of Components for Production Technology with Digital Product Database (> 100 Components)
• Ball Screw Drive for the Investigation of Stiffness and Measurement Uncertainty
• Im Technikum Institut Maschinenbau

• Modern Teaching Concepts
• Alternative Degree Programme Models

• Cooperative final theses conducted with industry at HRW to date: 41

• Weiler, T.; Emonts, M.; Janssen, H.: On the use of flexible intensity distributions for thermoplastic tape placement by means of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). 3rd ITHEC, Bremen, Germany, 2016
• Weiler, T.; Emonts, M.; Striet, P.: Optical modelling of VCSEL-assisted thermoplastic tape placement. 7th European conference on composite materials, Munich, 2016.
• Weiler, T.; Emonts, M.; Janssen, H.; Wollenburg, L.: Transient thermal analysis of laser-assisted thermoplastic tape placement at high process speeds by use of analytical solutions. In: Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials, 2017.
  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0892705717697780
• Kalt, L.; Weiler, T.; Emonts, M.; Fischer, K.: New potential for composite technologies in buildings and infra-structure. JEC Composite Magazine 114, 2017.
• Weiler, T.; Striet, P.; Voell, A.; Janssen, H.; Emonts, M.: Tailored irradiation by VCSEL for controlled thermal states in thermoplastic tape placement. SPIE Photonics West, San Francisco, 2018.
• Weiler, T.: Latest generation of in-situ thermoplastic tape placement machines. Proceedings of the 10th Symposium on Composite Materials for Automotive Applications, SAMPE Japan, Kyoto, 2018.
• Weiler, T.: New potentials for composite technologies in buildings & infrastructure. Composite Europe, Stuttgart, 2018.
• Wendt, A.; Weiler, T.; Emonts, M.: Machine technologies for thermoplastic composite blanks. 4th ITHEC, Bremen, Germany, 2018.
• Striet, P.; Weiler, T.; Emonts, M.; Voell, A.; Stollenwerk, J.; Janssen, H.: Transient spacially resolved irradiation for responding to varying thermal conditions in thermoplastic tape placement. SAMPE Europe Conference, Southampton, 2018.
• Weiler, T.: Laser-assisted tape placement with in-situ consolidation in combination with 3D printing. JEC World, Paris, 2019.
• Weiler, T.: Innovationspotentiale in der Brennstoffzellenfertigung (Potentials for innovation in fuel cell manufacturing), PhD thesis final presentation, RWTH Aachen, 2019
• Weiler, T.: Thermal Skin Effect in Laser-Assisted Tape Placement of Thermoplastic Composites, PhD thesis, RWTH Aachen, 2020
• Emonts, M.; Fischer, K.; Peitz, A,; Weiler, T.: Ultra-fast Consolidator Machine Development – Individualized Mass Production of Thermoplastic Tailored Blanks based on Laser-assisted Tape Placement with in-situ Consolidation, Technologies for Lightweight Structures 3(1) (2019), pp. 89–99; Special issue: 4th International MERGE Technologies Conference (IMTC), 18th–19th September 2019, Chemnitz, 2022

I am open to collaborative research projects with industry partners, particularly in the fields of machine tools, production processes, and lightweight construction.