Kunststoff-Zentrum in Leipzig gGmbH: 60 Year Anniversary

60 years of research spirit

The KUZ was founded in June 1960 as the Central Laboratory for Plastics Processing, a scientific and technical center of the Association of National Enterprises. At that time, the main focus of research was on testing technology and injection molding processing. Then as now, the KUZ operated in a dynamic environment: economic, scientific and technological developments shaped the day-to-day research activities of the company and brought about long-term changes. After the political transformation in 1990, KUZ was privatized and strengthened with the founding of the Fördergemeinschaft für das Kunststoff-Zentrum in Leipzig e. V., the non-profit research institution.

In addition to the original technological orientation, polyurethane processing was added as a further research focus with the construction of a new pilot plant in 1996. With the establishment of the joining technology, the KUZ was also given a stronger orientation towards interdisciplinary, technology-oriented research. 

With the establishment of a technical basis for the process combination of injection molding and PUR reaction technology in 2010, KUZ succeeded in building a bridge between the technologies. The opening of the MiKA application center for micro-plastic technology in 2014 brought together the know-how acquired in various development stages in the field of micro-plastic technologies and created the basis for application-oriented industrial projects.

KUZ today: sustainable with a view to the future

Today, KUZ sees itself as a modern institution that acts sustainably with an eye to the future. With the help of multidisciplinary, scientific expertise, more than 60 employees drive the research and development of KUZ to meet current and future requirements of the industry. The current research focus is on lightweight construction, miniaturization, functionalization, as well as technology and innovation research for plastics engineering solutions. A special focus is on the development and optimization of products and processes with regard to their resource and energy efficiency, which are important for long-term sustainable plastics applications. The influences of global megatrends are reflected in activities in the fields of Plastics Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence and applied digitalization.

Contact: Konstanze Jonas, Kunststoff-Zentrum in Leipzig gGmbH
Jonas@kuz-leipzig.de