Digitalisation Technologies

The project addresses environmental challenges in the production and lifecycle of aircraft, from manufacturing to maintenance and final disposal. It focuses on developing advanced materials and innovative technologies to reduce the environmental footprint. This includes creating new materials, processes, and recycling methods for more eco-friendly manufacturing. Laser welding and advanced sensors ensure efficiency and quality in large aeronautical structures, in collaboration with industry companies.

Sectors such as automotive, rail, shipbuilding and architecture are looking for customised structures, although the current limitations of additive manufacturing do not allow this. To meet this challenge, we propose developing advanced materials based on thermosetting composites, already used in aeronautical and automotive industries. The aim is to achieve layer-by-layer bonding with efficient curing to produce large parts using additive manufacturing processes.

ROLIAC enables lightweight military-grade part design and manufacture, leveraging additive manufacturing (AM) for EU defense. Key benefits include robust supply chains, lightweight high-performance components, and use of novel materials. ROLIAC focuses on generative design, rapid production, and robust quality control, demonstrated in ground, air, and space applications

WAVETAILOR intends to create a highly intelligent, flexible and reconfigurable laser-based additive manufacturing processes to overcome the current weaknesses in manufacturing geometrically complex multi-material components and assemblies by additive manufacturing. This will provide material savings, increase overall equipment efficiency and minimize defects.

COROB proposes a smart multi-robotic system for flexible manufacturing, catering to high-mix low-volume needs in Industry 5.0. Human-centered, it integrates robotics, inspection, monitoring, control, and AI from consortium and 15 third parties. Validated in pilots for automotive (multi-robot arc welding) and toolmaking (multi-robot WAAM), it enhances resilience, resource efficiency, circular economy, cost savings, and digital supply chain, boosting European industrial competitiveness.

The LightBEE project addresses a vital challenge: optimizing battery carrier design for manufacturability. Integrating key manufacturing technologies, it aims to create an advanced battery carrier with lightweight construction, cost-effectiveness, eco-friendly manufacturing, and enhanced crashworthiness. The goal is to overcome barriers in designing high added-value components, achieving a lighter, safer, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly carrier through the use of lightweight materials, multi-material solutions, and advanced joining techniques. This approach marks a significant step towards sustainable and efficient electric vehicles.

The MADISON project, a continuation of CEFAM 2020-2022, aims to enhance participation in the additive manufacturing (AM) value chain. It addresses challenges in AM technologies applied to metals, promotes excellence in training, and attracts talent. It develops strategies for dynamization, transfer, and industrial protection to enhance results. Technically, it fabricates and simulates five materials (Ti64, Cu, Al, steels, and Ni alloys), improves AM technologies and material processability, designs non-destructive inspection methods, and analyzes the sustainability of the processes.

Develop and implement new systems for advanced control of the rotary friction welding process. To achieve this, a new process control system will be developed as well as critical sub-systems capable of providing the performance characteristics demanded by highly demanding applications from the control point of view in the manufacture of components by rotary friction welding.

The AIRISE project empowers European SMEs in adopting edge-based AI for manufacturing, targeting waste and carbon reduction. The consortium establishes an ecosystem connecting SMEs with AI experts, Digital Innovation Hubs, and commercial entities. Open Calls facilitate access to AI competence for over 500 SMEs, supporting pilot applications. Security and connectivity are bolstered by external resources in cybersecurity and IoT, while smart working environments benefit from operator interfaces and collaborative robots.

NINFA drives research and development to efficiently and industrialise the aerospace sector in a cost-effective way while maintaining high quality standards. From design to post-processing, in collaboration with the supply chain. In addition, it seeks to apply developments in other sectors such as the medical-dental sector. Focusing on light alloys, cost-benefit analysis, industrialisation and process and material quality, NINFA covers the entire supply chain, including research into heat and surface treatments, process monitoring, mechanical characteristics, non-destructive methods, and distortion modelling for product design.