Materials, Methods & Technologies, Volume 2, 2008

Rezumat: Advanced materials are used in most industrial sectors and human activities and all developing and developed countries as well as international organizations e.g. United Nations have established work groups, which survey the national and global state and developments in the area of advanced materials trying to establish strategies on that crucial technology sector. These strategies are focused on research and technology activities including education and vocation training, as well as stimulus for the starting up of new industrial applications. To introduce such a concept in Greece and especially in Northern Greece, the Technological Education Institute of Serres has initiated an Interregional technology transfer project in this scientific field. This project includes most topics of advanced materials technology with emphasis on specific industrial applications (renewable energy systems). The project demonstrates the development of a prototype photovoltaic thermal system in terms of a new industrial product. The product development procedure consists of steps such as initial product design, materials selection and processing, prototype design and manufacturing, quality control, performance optimization, but also control of materials ecocompatibility according to the national trends of life cycle design and recycling techniques.