Digital methods for sustainable lightweighting

The environmental impact of the manufacturing cycle can be significantly reduced by using recycled material and pursuing digital transformation. As part of the DigiPro2green joint project, methods and support systems are being developed to improve the process loop in the field of lightweighting. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is providing a total of around €5 million in funding for the project over a three-year period.

Circular production is a key driver in the journey towards zero-emission manufacturing, as it can significantly reduce demand for primary resources. Consistently reusing materials closes material loops and helps to reduce the environmental impact of production. However, the increasing trend towards highly integrated, functional and composite components, especially in the transport sector, poses a challenge in the context of recycling these composites. These include low returns in terms of quantity and the reduced quality of recycled materials. As a result, production processes for hybrid components must be able to respond flexibly to variable properties of recycled materials. Despite their high environmental potential and their suitability as a key technology in lightweighting, the relevant recycling processes and designs for reusability have not yet been sufficiently researched.

In the DigiPro2green joint project, the aim is to develop a web client that assists with the selection of materials, automatically ensuring structural integrity while also assessing their environmental impact. In addition, the project aims to design digital support systems to ensure that a sustainable process loop is delivered for recycled materials. The objective is to achieve a high degree of flexibility that makes it possible to respond effectively to the fluctuating properties of recycled materials, processes and intermediate products.

As part of the joint project, the Institute for Production and Computer Science (IPI) at the Kempten University of Applied Sciences is working to expand the sustainable use of digital twins in the field of lightweighting. The planned twin platform is intended to collect data in a largely automated process so that it can efficiently process system, process and material data. “This in turn will make it possible to optimise support systems in order to meaningfully increase the use of recycled materials in components”, says sub-project leader Professor Bernd Lüdemann-Ravit.

In addition, methods for the use of recycled material and process models for the design of structural components are to be developed during the funding phase to establish eco-friendly lightweighting in other sectors. The research consortium consists of the IPI, Technische Universität Braunschweig as the overall coordinator, along with Fraunhofer institutes and various partners from the automotive, software development and materials technology sectors.