On the occasion of Prof. em. Dr.-Ing. Helmut Potente’s 70th birthday (former head of the Department of Polymer Engineering Paderborn (KTP), his successors Prof. Dr.-Ing. Elmar Moritzer and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Schöppner have invited polymer experts from the whole country to Paderborn. Among them were the WAK (Scientific Study Group for Polymers), representatives of the Düsseldorfer Innovations-Ministeriums (MIWFT) and other representatives from the industry and other universities. About 120 participants took part in the meeting on the 8th of October 2009 (in lecturing hall G), among them were also many of Potente's companions and former students.

Professor Potente likes to look back on his first years at the former "Gesamthochschule Paderborn": "To help building an institute like this was a highly appealing task. At the RWTH Aachen I learned under Prof. Dr. Menges how to study academically as well as efficiently and how set up research projects and to raise funds. The former KTP stock of four scientific resp. academic employees increased to 25 from 1980 till today.
To train qualified employees has always been more important for him than publicity or rewards. "Publications in well-known international magazines are a necessity, because otherwise funds are not easy to receive. Nevertheless, the success of the department increases only due to skilled employees. Publications in the field of mechanical engineering generally lose their influence faster than in natural sciences", said Potente. The former director relies fully on his successors Moritzer and Schöppner. "Both are shaped by the 'KTP-style' and after some successful years in the industry they have come back to their place of education and are perfectly experienced to cooperate at the interface between industry and science resp. research."
This has always been a highly significant motivation of his work. Already 25 years ago he called together scientists and decision makers of the economy to develop his simulation software. Thus, the programmes REX (computer-aided extruder design), PSI (Paderborn Injection Moulding) and SIGMA to simulate co-rotating twin screw extruders have been developed. With his intuition for the development of user-friendly software Potente was right. After all, research results in engineering generally cannot simply be used for industrial practice. By means of the software the mathematical correlations are packed into a Black Box, so that the user only has to describe the input data. Although the calculation processes are becoming more and more complex, the simulation of processes requires considerably fewer time due to the use of the software.
"If you do a good job, you can stay calm", Potente sums up because especially in industrial projects it is necessary to compete with high-skilled experts. It is a decisive aspect to have the best experts at the right time. "This way we have developed and gained our international and scientific reputation". In the near future he regards the cooperation with the chemical department of the University of Paderborn, within the recently founded PMP (Institute for Polymer-Material and Processes), as well within the DMRC (Direct Manufacturing Research Centre) as a new developing chance.
Professor Potente wants to spend his free time with his family, especially with his wife, on the golf course. "A highly challenging task, as my wife plays better than I do."
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