The expansion of electricity generation using wind energy significantly contributes towards the climate-neutral energy supply in Germany. Due to the limited area available, future wind turbines will need to be more economical, with an improved degree of utilisation. The development of larger rotor blades is particularly important for this. However, established materials are nearing their…
When we look at how birds fly, we can see that they modify the shape of their wings during flight. They do this because they know that to be more performant, faster and, among others, get their food, they need to adapt to different flying conditions, such as those from variable winds. Aircraft engines consist…
Additive functionalisation is multifaceted and ranges from printing local stiffening ribs to integrating assembly and adhesive aids to introducing electrical conductors into the component. The basic structure of the component can be produced using an established process, such as tape laying for the production of large-area structures. Using fibre-reinforced 3D printing (short and continuous fibre-reinforced,…
Light as plastic, but as resilient as metal – and customisable to boot. These are requirements that are placed on components in a wide range of industries from aerospace to medical technology. But how can the weight of a satellite structure for space be reduced while maintaining the same load capacity? And how can highly…
Increasing sustainability and productivity is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Therefore, in industry, there is a great need for high-precision and flexible systems for additive manufacturing. At our Institute, specially designed CNC robot kinematics with a high absolute positioning accuracy allow precisely controlled path movements in three-dimensional space. In combination with specifically…
The efficient use of energy has never been as important as it is today. In industry, process heat takes up a large share of the energy consumption that industrial plants need to produce all kinds of goods. However, the question “How can we produce more energy efficiently?” can only be answered once it has been…
At the beginning of 2022, the DLR Innovation Lab EmpowerAX reached an important milestone in terms of collaboration and technology transfer in the field of fibre-reinforced 3D printing with the signing of a multilateral cooperation agreement by 23 partners of different sizes and from different industries. In order to implement the joint technology transfer after…
Nowadays, more regenerative energy, especially more wind energy, is the order of the day. Above all else, this can be achieved with ever larger wind turbines. Such developments should lead to a decrease in the cost of energy as well as the space required for wind farms. However, wind turbines cannot simply keep growing without…
The implementation of new technologies presents a number of challenges for companies – from selecting a suitable technology to implementing it within their existing process set-up. As a result, companies look to find all the relevant information for technology implementation combined in one place. This is precisely what the DLR Empower Additive Extrusion Innovation Lab…
A newly developed impregnation technology enables cost-effective and flexible production of continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments. When combined with additive material extrusion processes, this makes it possible to implement lightweight yet highly resilient components made of thermoplastic fibre composites cost-effectively, even for new businesses and manufacturers of small production runs. Production of continuous fibre-reinforced…