Prof Dr Andreas Ligocki, Head of the Institute of Construction and Applied Mechanical Engineering (IKAM) at Ostfalia, conducts research at the interface of constructive mechanical engineering, mobile machines and digital environmental measurement technology. For Valentine's Day 2026, he has 3D printed a heart for Ostfalia.
Ostfalia - a university with a big heart
Alexa Knierim, Ostfalia Editorial Team: Why is a heart a perfect fit for your field today?
Prof Dr Andreas Ligocki: We are the university with a big heart and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering also has a big heart. What's more, today is Valentine's Day, and we need beautiful red hearts for that.
What does this heart specifically show about the possibilities of modern additive manufacturing?
Prof Ligocki: In principle, you can print any shape with 3D printing, whether it's a heart or a broken heart, we can do anything.
What role do CAD and digital design play in this - from the first draft to the finished print?
Prof Ligocki: Well, the heart has to come from somewhere, so you have to think it up beforehand and you do that in CAD. It is then sliced, i.e. cut into layers, and then printed.
Even if this heart is not a component, where are similar 3D printing technologies used in your research or in practice?
Prof Ligocki: We use 3D printing both in teaching, i.e. during our studies, and in research and projects. We make our own components. A bit like Pippi Longstocking: we make the world the way we like it.
FabLab as an open workshop for students
What can students at Ostfalia try out for themselves in the field of 3D printing and design?
Prof Ligocki: We're here in the FabLab and it's basically an open workshop. This means that, in principle, any student can come here and freely realise their own project or student research project.
What would you say to young people who find technology exciting but still think mechanical engineering is "too theoretical"?
Prof Ligocki: Just come here and you'll see that there's enough practice here.
