3D Printers Various 3D printers are available for 3D printing processes at the Institute of Structures and Design.
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	3D-Coordinates Measuring Machine Fa. Wenzel Typ LH 108 / CNC The CNC-controlled coordinate measuring machine for the measurement of ruled and free form surfaces is used for the final measurement of mostly ceramic components as well as for measurements during production in order to detect dimensional changes between different production steps.
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	Autoclave DLR-BT in Stuttgart has a hot-air autoclave facility for producing complex, near-net-shape CFRP preforms (carbon fibre-reinforced plastic).
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	Heated Vacuum Table Thermoplastics technology at BT is based on process techniques such as vacuum consolidation, vacuum moulding and hot pressing. The main focus of research today, using these techniques, is to combine different reinforced and unreinforced thermoplastic grades into new designs.
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	Gas Gun Facility The Institute of Structure and Design operates several gas guns for high-velocity impact (HVI) experiments. Currently various barrels with calibres between 12 and 200 mm are available, in which projectiles between approx. 1 g and 7 kg can be accelerated. Scenarios involving impact velocities between 50 and 500 m/s depending on the projectile weight are possible.
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	Computed Tomography (CT) CT provides a deep insight into the inner structure of materials and structural parts. Beside the possibility of non-destructive evaluation, the main benefit of this method is the three-dimensional imaging that allows precise detection and picturing of internal structures and therefore material and structural defects as well.
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	Cutting Center A cutting center has been installed at ZLP Augsburg to support highly automated pick-and-place processes for large aerospace structures. Different materials such as dry fiber or thermoplastic fabrics can be cut either sequencially or nesting optimised.
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Electrodynamic Shaker When developing components exposed to vibration, the investigation of fatigue strength of materials and entire components or even groups of components is a decisive safety factor in the FEA analysis and especially also to the constantly running component. These High-Cycle-Fatigue (HCF) tests are carried out at the Institute of Structures and Design at DLR Stuttgart using an electrodynamic shaker.

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	Drop Tower The drop tower is used to investigate the crash behaviour of materials, subcomponents and complete structures.
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	Fibre Placement Cell (FPZ) The ZLP Augsburg view of a new, unique research facility since March 2020. The Fibre Placement Cell is used to research tape laying and fibre placement processes such as Automated Fibre Placement.
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	Hot Presses The Institute of Structures and Design (BT) operates three hot presses at its two sites in Augsburg and Stuttgart to investigate the production processes for structural components made of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics.
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	Digital High-Speed Video Camera The institute has several high-speed cameras. The usual frame rates range from 50 frames per second (fps) for quasi-static testing up to 240,000 fps in high-speed crash tests. Selected measurement signals can be recorded simultaneously by very fast transient recorders (1 GHz) and displayed synchronously.
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	High-speed Testing Machine A High-speed Testing Machine is available for the determination of mechanical material properties as well as for the investigation of structural components and their failure behavior. Loading of a material or a structural component can be realised up to 500,000 times faster compared to quasi-static loading in a standard test machine.
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	Inline Quality Assurance Cell (IQZ) The production of high-performance lightweight structures requires full control over material and production processes. Inline-capable methods of quality assurance are increasingly in focus. The IQZ Quality Assurance Cell enables process development, adaptation and testing to be carried out directly on an industrial robot.
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Multifunctional Robot Cell (MFC) Research in the area of lightweight structures is going to be heavily influenced by automation technology. The DLR Center for Lightweight Production Technology in Augsburg addresses all steps of the production of lightweight structures. A key component is the Multifunctional Robot Cell (MFC), which is a robot-based research platform that allows the investigation of different manufacturing processes of large parts for the air and space industries with respect to their potential for automation.

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Furnaces for High-Temperature Processes For the development of components made of fibre-reinforced ceramics, the DLR Institute of Structures and Design in Stuttgart has several furnaces for high-temperature processes, in addition to modern facilities for pre-body production. The laboratory furnaces are used for the development and production of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), in particular, of the material classes C/C, C/C-SiC and SiC/SiC.

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	Furnace Facilities The Institute of Structures and Design (BT) at its sites in Stuttgart and Augsburg operates four furnaces for the investigation of fibre-reinforced structural component production processes.
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	Optical Deformation Analysis Optical deformation analysis using digital image correlation allows non-contact measurements of strains and displacements both in 2D and 3D.
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	Servohydraulic Testing Machines The institute has eight servohydraulic testing machines designed for high speeds, high static loads, extremely high temperatures or for determining the fatigue strength of materials.
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	Clamping Field Components, that do not fit into our testing machines can be tested on our clamping field.
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	Facility Technology Evaluation Cell (TEC) The Technology Evaluation Cell (TEC) consists of two Kuka Quantec KR210 R3100 robots mounted on a common eight-metre linear axis. In addition, the system has sufficient space to carry out experiments with large tools.
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	Thermomechanical Test Facility INDUTHERM The test stand INDUTHERM is intended for the thermal and mechanical testing of structural components such as load introductions. Heating of the test specimens takes place inductively via a susceptor tube that produces a homogeneous temperature field in its interior.
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	Thermoplast Cell (TPZ) The DLR Center for Lightweight Production Technology in Augsburg features an integrated robotic work cell - the so-called TPZ - for the investigation of fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite production technologies.
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	Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) Facility The Institute for Structures and Design at DLR Stuttgart features a state-of-the-art Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) Facility for manufacturing fibre-reinforced thermoplastic components.
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	Universal Testing Machines (Zwick©) The institute has a mechanical precision measuring laboratory consisting of four electromechanical universal testing machines from Zwick©. Using a wide range of sensors, properties of various materials (metal, composite, hybrid material) can be determined according to international standards or individual tests can be carried out on components and structures.
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	Water Jet Cutting Facility For the process of reaping special materials, like fibre-reinforced composite, ceramics, foam, hybrid layered materials from metal and non-metallic materials, the reaping with a high-pressure jet of water up to 6,000 bar with pure water or with an abrasive water jet has become a standard procedure.
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	Winding machine In addition to RTM and pressing technology, the institute also has a 3-axis winding machine for the production of composite preforms. This allows the production of double-curved rotationally symmetric components in the sub and full scale range in a very economic process.
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