Some factual information below, while a more entertaining description can be found on the featured scientists page.

After receiving his engineer’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1988 (on turbomachinery), Remko Akkerman received his PhD on viscoelastic flow simulations in the group of prof. Huétink in 1993 at the University of Twente. He started working as an assistant professor in the chair of Engineering Design in Plastics with prof. Powell and got involved in fibre reinforced polymers. He acquired various EU funded project on processing (e.g. high precision moulding) and performance (e.g. impact and post impact behaviour) of advanced composite materials.

In 2003 he was appointed as full professor in Production Technology, keeping a focus on lightweight materials for structural applications, with a clear emphasis on composite materials. The group’s research is characterized by an integral approach on design, materials and processing, combining experimental and analytical / simulation work. His current projects involve a wide range of activities, such as functional materials, composite processing analysis, structural health monitoring and self-healing materials.

He has been the secretary of the Esaform association (European Scientific Association of Material Forming) from 2007 to 2013, and since June 2009 he is the scientific director of the ThermoPlastic Composite Research Centre, founded by Ten Cate, Fokker, Boeing and the University of Twente. Since then, the TPRC has grown to currently 22 members representing a full thermoplastic composite value chain. Since 2010 is member of the Scientific Committee of FPCM, Flow Processes in Composite Materials, and of Texcomp, Textile Composites. As such, he chaired the FPCM-12 conference at the University of Twente in 2014. He is a member of the KMHW and of the management team of 4tu.htm, the research centre for high-tech materials of the Dutch 4tu Federation. He further participates in the international advisory boards of large research programmes in the UK (Cimcomp) and Japan (SM4I).

 

For more info about Remko Akkerman on the 'Featured Scientists' page, click below:

 

Expertise

  • Material Science

    • Composite Material
    • Thermoplastics
    • Fiber
    • Temperature
    • Friction
    • Tape
    • Material
    • Laser

Organisations

Ancillary activities

  • EPSRC Future Composites Manufacturing HubAdvisory Board member
  • TPRCScientific Director

Publications

2025

Isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics modelling of neat and composite PA410 (2025)Polymer, 328. Article 128432. Bentalib, S., van Drongelen, M., Klompen, E. T. J., Helthuis, N. G. J. & Akkerman, R.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2025.128432Data package for "Critical evaluation of torsion rheometry to characterize the anisotropic intraply shear resistance of unidirectional thermoplastic composites in melt" (2025)[Dataset Types › Dataset]. 4TU.Centre for Research Data. Brands, D., Haanappel, S., Grouve, W., Wijskamp, S. & Akkerman, R.https://doi.org/10.4121/1020fe4d-d37d-46f1-a098-4a87db655d65An experimental study on filling of gaps and void pockets during vacuum-bag-only consolidation of fiber placed preforms (2025)Journal of thermoplastic composite materials, 38(3), 1089-1106. Swamy, J. N., Grouve, W. J. B., Wijskamp, S. & Akkerman, R.https://doi.org/10.1177/08927057241259745Critical evaluation of torsion rheometry to characterize the anisotropic intraply shear resistance of unidirectional thermoplastic composites in melt (2025)Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 190. Article 108661. Brands, D., Haanappel, S. P., Grouve, W. J. B., Wijskamp, S. & Akkerman, R.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2024.108661Predicting induction heating of tape-based thermoplastic composites: The role of orthotropic electrical conductivity (2025)[Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT]. University of Twente. Buser, Y. M.https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036564700Forming simulations for unidirectional thermoplastic composites: Improving in-plane shear characterization and modeling (2025)[Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT]. University of Twente. Brands, D.https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036563512Reliable longitudinal electrical conductivity characterisation of unidirectional CFRP tapes (2025)Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 188. Article 108550. Buser, Y. M., Krämer, E. T. M., Akkerman, R. & Grouve, W. J. B.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2024.108550Squeeze flow visualization using digital image correlation (2025)In Material Forming, ESAFORM 2025: The 28th International ESAFORM Confernce on Material Forming held in Paestum, Italy, May 7-9, 2025 (pp. 572-581). Article 62 (Materials Research Proceedings; Vol. 54). Association of American Publishers. Bieleman, G., Grouve, W. J. B., Rondina, F., Klompen, E. T. J. & Akkerman, R.https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-62

Research profiles

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2025/2026

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses academic year 2023/2024

The first episode of the TPRC Talks, November 30th 2020:
a live talk show on the development of the TPRC, the mission, the lab, the research, the way of working with our partners and the world of thermoplastic composites in general.

In the press

https://advanceseng.com/defect-formation-during-composite-manufacturing/

https://www.compositesworld.com/articles/highlights-future-of-thermoplastics-composites-conference-tprc

News on utwente.nl

https://www.utwente.nl/en/research/researchers/featured-scientists/akkerman/

https://www.utwente.nl/en/research/themes/materials/featured/lightmaterials/

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room N212
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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