Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPTResearch project "DIAMETER"
The European Union's "European Green Deal" aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. One focus is on the development of environmentally friendly and resource-efficient industrial production. To this end, new industry standards are being defined and sustainable technologies are being promoted.
To achieve the sustainability goals in sectors such as aviation and the automotive industry, modern production approaches and standardized methods for evaluating environmental impacts are required. These industries are subject to strict requirements and have so far required material-intensive manufacturing of complex components.
Environmentally friendly and material-efficient hybrid manufacturing in metal processing
In the EU project "DIAMETER", we at Fraunhofer IPT are working with international partners from industry and research to support the circular economy in the metalworking industry with hybrid manufacturing systems. The integration of additive manufacturing and complementary milling technology in a hybrid production system enables particularly material-efficient and cycle-oriented production of metal components.
One of the project's sub-goals is to reduce the carbon footprint in the manufacturing sectors: By locally producing components through additive manufacturing instead of central production and transportation, spare parts manufacturing can be optimized and transportation needs minimized.
High design flexibility and resource savings
The layer-by-layer material build-up in additive manufacturing makes it possible to produce sophisticated component geometries with cavities and filigree structures. On the one hand, hybrid manufacturing can reduce material waste, while on the other hand, it enables a high degree of design flexibility in component construction. Central design criteria such as durability, reparability and recyclability are the focus of the project when developing components in order to take into account the entire life cycle of the end product in the sense of a circular economy. For example, products can be disassembled more easily and materials can be separated more easily if components are glued together less often.
AI-supported software tools for sustainability assessment and qualification
With the aim of aligning the design of components with circular strategies such as remanufacturing and optimizing hybrid manufacturing, the project team is developing a package of digital tools that enable the effective integration of these strategies into the production process.
To evaluate the ecological and economic impacts of the manufacturing processes, we are developing an AI-supported algorithm based on the European "Environmental Footprint" directive. This integrates data from process monitoring as well as from simulations of pre- and post-processing and additive manufacturing to determine sustainability indicators.
Our researchers systematically collect data on energy, raw material, and gas consumption as well as waste and emissions in the manufacturing processes. We define the specific test components and their geometric properties in a protocol. This data supports our analysis of the manufacturing processes and helps in the development and validation of process optimizations. Additionally, data on the surface quality of the test components is collected using deep learning image classification, as well as temperature monitoring during the additive manufacturing processes.
Software platform for industrial application
These functions are provided by a software platform that facilitates industrial application and supports the European "Digital Product Passport". This enables us to create transparency regarding the origin, materials and recyclability of products.
In addition, the project team is developing an e-learning application that trains industrial workers in the principles of the circular economy and their application in metal additive manufacturing. Interactive courses and workshops help users to use the software platform efficiently and implement sustainable production methods.
Project partners
- Sabanci Universitesi (coordination, project management), Turkey
- Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan, Sweden
- Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, Aachen, Germany
- The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Fundacion Cartif, Spain
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Spain SL, Spain
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology RMIT University, Australia
- ModuleWorks GmbH, Germany
- OC Open Consulting Societa'benefit SRL, Italy
- Stratagem Energy LTD, Cyprus
- Uni Systems Systimata Pliroforikis Monoprosopi Anonymi Emporiki
- Etairia, Greece
- F3NICE, Italy
- Trentino Sviluppo SPA, Italy
- Valcun BV, Belgium
- Tusas-Turk Havacilik Ve Uzay Sanayii AS, Turkey
- Valland S.P.A., Italy
- Coskunoz Kalip Makina Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Turkey
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA
Funding
The EU project "DIAMETER – Demonstration of a sustainable circular-by-design manufacturing system based on additive manufacturing" is funded by the European Union for four years under the funding code 101177422 as part of the Horizon Europe program.