WZL Successfully Completes the SustainTool Research Project
How can sustainability goals be implemented systematically and cost-effectively in toolmaking? This question was the focus of the WZL research project «SustainTool – Toolmaking as a Driver of Sustainability,» which was successfully completed after more than two years.
The WZL Machine Tool Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University and other research institutions, in collaboration with industry partners, developed methods, guidelines, and digital tools that enable toolmaking companies to objectively assess and specifically improve environmental, economic, and social sustainability aspects.
Systematically Embedding Sustainability in Toolmaking
Toolmaking companies are increasingly faced with the challenge of balancing rising demands for resource efficiency, climate protection, and the circular economy with economically viable production processes. The „SustainTool“ research project therefore aimed to make sustainability practical along the entire value chain of toolmaking by using concrete data, key performance indicators, and recommendations for action.
Developed practical methods and digital tools
The project resulted in various practical solutions for companies. These include a guide to sustainable mold manufacturing, a guide to conducting climate risk analyses, tools for energy simulation in the injection molding process, a morphological framework for developing resource-efficient mold concepts, and a CO₂ calculator for injection molds. The methods developed help companies systematically record, evaluate, and specifically optimize emissions, energy and material consumption, and opportunities for the circular economy.
A key factor in the project’s success was the close collaboration between research and industry. The results were developed in collaboration with the companies on the project steering committee through workshops, validation sessions, and regular project meetings, and were continuously adapted to meet the requirements of industrial practice. This allowed the developed tools to be evaluated and further refined under real-world conditions.
From Research to Industrial Application
The Chair of Production Management at the WZL Machine Tool Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University contributed its expertise, particularly in the areas of sustainable tool manufacturing, CO₂e assessment, collaborative emissions management, and the circular economy. As part of the project, strategies and recommendations for more sustainable tool manufacturing were developed, along with approaches to increase the use of reuse and remanufacturing concepts in toolmaking.
«SustainTool shows that sustainability in toolmaking doesn’t have to remain an abstract concept. With reliable emissions data, practical methods, and concrete recommendations for action, companies are given the tools to tap into both environmental and economic potential in equal measure,» says Helen Baumert, research associate at the Chair of Production Management at the WZL Machine Tool Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University.
Successful Project Completion in Austria
The project concluded on June 23, 2026, with a hybrid project meeting at RICO Elastomere Projecting GmbH in Thalheim near Wels (Austria). Representatives from the participating research institutions and the companies on the project steering committee discussed the project results and their potential for industrial application.
The SustainTool research project ran from March 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026. In addition to the WZL Machine Tool Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University, the Plastics Cluster of Business Upper Austria – OÖ Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH, the Research Association for Tools and Materials (FGW), the Montanuniversität Leoben, Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH, and Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences participated as research partners.
The guide resulting from the research project is available here: https://www.wzl.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bjeznc#aaaaaaaaabjezqy. Source: RWTH Aachen
This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/wzl-schliesst-forschungsprojekt-sustaintool-erfolgreich-ab/
