History of FZG
The Institute of Machine Elements – Gear Research Center (FZG) – is part of the TUM School of Engineering and Design at the Technical University Munich. Since decades, FZG is the competence center for issues related to mechanical drive technology. FZG plays a central role both nationally and internationally in research and development as well as in standardization.
The research institute was founded by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. E.h. Gustav Niemann in 1951, who already started directive works in the research areas of gears and transmissions at Braunschweig in 1938.
These areas of research remained unchanged by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. E.h. Hans Winter, who followed Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. E.h. G. Niemann in October 1968.
In October 1989, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Bernd-Robert Höhn was the successor of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. E.h. H. Winter as head of the Institute of Machine Elements at the TU Munich. Under his direction, the general directions of research have been expanded by further research areas in automotive applications, as there are continuously variable transmissions (CVT) and an autark, parallel hybrid drive train for vehicles.
Since 2011, the chair is headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karsten Stahl.
At present, there are about 70 employees working at the institute, two third of which are scientific personnel and one third are technical and administrative personnel, working in workshop, testing area, electronic and metallographical laboratories, the bureau of technical design and sekretariat. In addition to that, there are undergraduate students, as well as at an average two foreign scientists, who stay and work as guests for several months.
The institute occupies an area of 850 m2 for bureaus and rooms for tutorials, 300 m2 for measuring rooms and laboratories, 350 m2 for workshop and 850 m2 for testing area.
