Design and Manufacturing Technology
Material and technology in balance
The development of lightweight structures for the aerospace industry or the transport and energy sectors always lies at the heart of the work at the Institute - in one form or another. In the field of design and manufacturing technologies, the journey from the first design idea through to the finished component is viewed as one whole system process. This research field has been using digital processes to develop optimal solutions for more than 30 years. Alongside structural aspects, the specific properties of the materials being used and appropriate production technologies are already taken into account during the design phase. The main focus of this research is fibre-reinforced composites with thermoplastic or duromer matrices.
The following goals are pursued in the area of component development:
- Development and application of digital development paths for designing and optimising components
- Development of functionally integrated construction independent of the type of material
- Demonstration and validation via internal production and testing
The focus in the area of technology development is:
- Consolidation of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics without autoclaves (vacuum and pressing process)
- Welding processes for thermoplastic composites