Manufacturing & Production
Producing quality, instead of just testing it
If you want to shape the future of lightweight construction, you must resolutely push forward the development of new innovations. The research field 'Manufacturing and Production' does precisely this in cooperation with industry. The team uses its broad level of expertise to develop holistic solutions for this purpose, while the unique infrastructure enables the team to develop full-scale automated production processes under realistic industrial conditions.
Digitalisation that connects
One of the most important pillars supporting the day-to-day work in this research field is the digital linking of interdisciplinary processes. This is based on data collected in every phase of the production process. An internally developed Integrated Data Management System (shepard) is used by the research group to optimally evaluate this data. This system is also used by other DLR institutes and external partners. Our innovative system even allows the group to evaluate the data collected from the different processes during ongoing production. This means that quality management starts during production, ensuring that quality can be produced instead of just being tested.
A strong partner today and in the future
To remain a strong partner for industry today and in the future, the Institute must be able to quickly respond to the constantly changing requirements in lightweight production. In this respect, the research field relies on short innovation cycles based on flexible, platform-independent technology components and competency modules that can be quickly put together for use with a variety of different materials, technologies and construction methods. This ensures that our research in this field remains agile and continues to open up new possibilities in the area of lightweight production.