Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS
The project "The digital twin for thermoplastic-composite lightweight construction", in short "digitalTPC", has been running at the Fraunhofer IMWS since February 2019 as a collaborative project together with the Fraunhofer ICT, Fraunhofer IZFP and Fraunhofer SCAI and is funded as part of the Fraunhofer Advance Research (MAVO). The scientists from the various institutes plan to conduct research on the data, information and AI-driven project until the beginning of 2022. They will be advised by representatives from industry. The focus is on the development of a digital twin for thermoplastic composites, with the overarching consideration taking place in the real and virtual process chain.
Digital twins store component and material data throughout the entire life cycle. At present, they are mainly used in industrial production for individual machines and systems, although enormous efficiency gains are already being achieved by collecting and evaluating this data. However, their potential has not yet been exhausted. This is where the joint project comes in, with the aim of looking at all sub-process steps from the manufacture of semi-finished products to the production of components. The complex microstructure of the composite material in the manufacture of semi-finished products and structural components poses a major challenge for process control, which in turn requires end-to-end digitization of the complete production process.
The holistic approach within the project represents a significant innovation, which will enable the individualization of all relevant characteristics of material, process and component in the future. The digital twin developed in the project is intended to demonstrate this potential using large-scale hybrid injection molding technology, in which fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tape laminate semi-finished products are continuously formed and back-injected.