Collaborative Project Focuses on Smart Lightweight Plastic Structures

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved funding for a Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) that will be tasked with developing “intelligent production technologies for lightweight plastic structures with load-dedicated 3D-grading of the reinforcement architecture.” CRC partners RWTH Aachen University and technology universities TU Chemnitz and TU Dresden are jointly launching the pioneering research project that targets up to 12 years of research at the highest level.

Pioneering research for sustainable mobility

The new CRC aims to develop resource-efficient lightweight plastic components featuring load-appropriate reinforcement architectures. This offers enormous potential for the automotive and aviation industries: The combination of innovative materials and processes should enable the development of lightweight components that are stable and recyclable.

In the first funding phase, the CRC will focus on researching technologies and manufacturing processes that integrate both continuous and discontinuous fiber reinforcements. This combination enables a load-appropriate material design and makes the components suitable for mass production.

At the same time, great importance is attached to sustainability: Research will consider recycling strategies during the development phase to optimize the entire life cycle of the products.

Related:Lightweight TPE Incorporates Recycled Content

In the first funding phase, the research team will develop two demonstrators — a profiled and a flat structural element — which will serve as a test environment for the new technologies. With each subsequent year of funding, the complexity of the components will increase in order to meet long-term industrial requirements.

Pooling lightweighting expertise

RWTH Aachen University, Chemnitz University of Technology, and TU Dresden are renowned for their leading lightweight construction centers. “This collaboration combines outstanding expertise in plastics technology, simulation, and materials research,” emphasizes Professor Christian Hopmann. “Together, we have laid the foundations to revolutionize the production of lightweight structures in the coming years.”

Professor Christian Hopmann presents the project proposal for the new CRC during advisory group meetings at RWTH Aachen University. Image courtesy of RWTH Aachen.

The new CRC is being coordinated by Chemnitz University of Technology under the leadership of spokesperson Professor Lothar Kroll. “A CRC represents the Champions League of research, so to speak, and the funding approval is the result of an intensive and competitive application process, which we mastered together with our partners,” explains Kroll. Hopmann is also delighted with the decision: "The grant shows how relevant our research project is for science and industry, especially with regard to the urgently needed measures for more sustainability in mobility.”