The research facility in Stade was founded in 2009 as one of the two locations of the Center for Lightweight-Production-Technology (Zentrum für Leichtbauproduktionstechnologie; ZLP) and has been an independent location of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) since 2011. The research in Stade completes the current process chain portfolio for the development and production of components made of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP) at DLR. The focus of the work conducted here is on production technology on an industrial scale.
Research at the DLR Center for Lightweight-Production-Technology (ZLP) in Stade covers not only aeronautics but also energy and transport. Approximately 40 employees of the Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems work here on the production of large components made of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers on an industrial scale. In addition to the aviation and automotive industries, manufacturers of rotor blades for wind turbines also benefit from this.
Alongside the ZLP site in Augsburg, it covers the entire process chain for components made of fibre composites. With unique large-scale facilities, the ZLP develops strategies to produce large, high-quality CFRP components in cost-effective ways. In doing so, each step in the process is investigated, integrated and implemented with the corresponding technical infrastructure on an industrial scale. This infrastructure is also made available to customers for the development and validation of production processes together with DLR in a needs-based and flexible manner.
DLR site Stade German Aerospace Center (DLR) Ottenbecker Damm 12 21684 Stade Germany
The world's largest research autoclave has been in operation since 2012 and, together with its digital twin, the virtual autoclave, is the subject of many research projects with the aim of making the autoclaving process of fibre composite components more sustainable while maintaining component quality.
Wind power activities at the DLR20 research platform
Wind power is a renewable and emission-free energy source and is ideally suited for the generation of green electricity. How rotor blades can be manufactured more sustainably in the future and many other questions are being investigated by scientists in Stade with the DLR20 research platform.
