Visions for Climate-Neutral Aviation
AERO-PARK 1 at the Future Aachen-Merzbrück Research Airport
The transformation of aviation coupled with the opportunities afforded by the structural change in the Rhenish mining area offers a unique opportunity for the Aachen high-technology region to further strengthen its position as an innovator in aviation. As part of the Aviation Rheinisches Revier economic ecosystem, AERO-PARK 1, located at the future Aachen-Merzbrück Research Airport, is being developed into an innovation hub for aviation.
Radical Change in the Aviation Industry
The aviation industry is facing radical change. With the European Green Deal, climate protection, sustainability and ecology are becoming key focuses of industry. For the aviation industry, this means significantly reducing emissions and striving for climate neutrality. The aviation industry's commitment to developing more silent, efficient, and clean aircraft, which is already set out in the Flight Path 2050 strategy, is complemented by the European Green Deal’s goal to achieve climate-neutral aviation by 2050.
At the same time, global air traffic is forecast to continue to grow strongly, doubling over the next 15 years. The associated maintenance business is expected to even triple in this period. In addition, new urban mobility concepts are bringing other topics into focus that deal with the manufacture and operation of small manned and unmanned aircraft.
Innovation Needs and Innovation Drivers
Enormous challenges lie in meeting the high demand for innovation in propulsion systems, whether fuel cells, batteries, or modern hybrid engine concepts, as well as in lightweight construction and new aircraft architectures, with the aim of achieving climate-neutral aviation. Second, given the forecast increase in air traffic, the quality and availability of components, products, and systems must be ensured in order to meet today’s ambitious climate targets.
Countries such as England, France, and Spain are responding to the high demand for innovation and growth by pooling skills and competencies in technology centers. There is no alternative to these industry-related technology centers if Germany does not want to lose out: Many innovations would not be translated into products and solutions, job creation opportunities would be missed, and jobs may even be lost. In the aviation sector, this is mainly due to the enormously high demands on development and verification processes, which are not comparable to development processes in other industries and which universities can hardly meet. These processes require professional development centers. With AERO-PARK 1, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has the opportunity to position itself as a strong innovation driver for climate-neutral aviation. North Rhine-Westphalia and the Aachen region have a distinctive aviation R&D landscape and a strong supply industry in this sector. The Aachen region is thus very well positioned to establish itself as a central innovator of materials, processes, and products, also bringing the necessary digitalization skills for the future market of aviation.
High Degree of Interdisciplinarity
The development of aerospace products and, in particular, of aircraft requires a high degree of interdisciplinarity of all players along the entire development and value chain. The regulatory authorities must also be involved in this process. In order to ensure interdisciplinarity and overall systemic competence, the following topics related to AERO-PARK 1 in Aachen-Merzbrück will be addressed in a first strategic paper:
- Aviation production
- Aviation simulators
- Technologies for small aircraft
- Urban Airborne Mobility (UAM)
- Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
- Test and certification
The following institutions and companies are expected to be involved in AERO-PARK 1:
- Production Launch Center PLCA (Access, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, RWTH)
- AERO.SCIENCE (FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences)
- Innovation Center for Small Aircraft Technologies – INK (German Aerospace Center DLR)
- Aviation Innovation Center (AGIT)
The Production Launch Center Aviation – PLCA
Production technology for aviation made in Aachen is recognized worldwide. The Aachen-Merzbrück Research Airport in the vicinity of the production engineering institutes of RWTH Aachen University, the independent Access e.V. research facility, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (ITP) offer enormous potential and are internationally unmatched. Access e.V., Fraunhofer ITP, and the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering at RWTH Aachen University (WZL) jointly cover the entire production technology value chain from material production to the finished product. They have already been working hand in hand with industry for many years on new key technologies and are successively developing them to higher levels of maturity. These skills are already being profitably used within the highly successful partnerships with ICTM (International Center for Turbomachinery Manufacturing) and SKY, the partner network of Access. Thus, Aachen can be seen as an international focal point for the ‘big players' in the industry.
Comprehensive requirements for climate and noise protection and the resulting mobility strategies require new series production capable manufacturing processes for the efficient components of tomorrow. Factors such as component complexity, cost and resource efficiency, and environmental conservation are subject to extreme challenges. The necessary technological developments require a fundamental conceptual rethinking so that the enormous, currently untapped technological potential from research can be harnessed. Against this backdrop, the PLCA focuses on development and industrialization of automated, scalable, cost-optimized, resource-saving, fast, and digitalized production processes for components and materials for the climate-neutral aviation of tomorrow. The main focus is on the extremely fast and high-quality realization of concepts and designs in prototype components in line with the requirements of aviation OEMs (suitable for test stands and meeting aerospace-specific quality standards). This is always the first step towards a manufacturing process, in particular also in order to prove manufacturability, and to adapt components to production requirements at an early development stage.
Comprehensive Competencies in Production Technology
The Aachen production technology institutions Access e.V., WZL at RWTH Aachen University, and Fraunhofer IPT all have a comprehensive skills profile and can jointly cover the entire production technology life cycle and quality assurance up to the finished product. Furthermore, they have been supporting the industry for many years on issues such as process validation and qualification, as well as working together with the authorities (EASA and FAA, Federal Aviation Administration of the USA) on new standards for the certification of components and systems for safe operation in airspace. They closely collaborate with locally based companies and research institutions, which are involved in several projects. The Production Launch Center Aviation is a collaborative consortium of individual development centers and expert institutions capable of providing a holistic view of production chains and quality assurance processes.
Goals and Values
The mission of the Production Launch Center can be summarized by the following points:
- Sustainable production methods for the series production of tomorrow
- The Production Launch Center Aviation is a research, development, and production ramp-up facility where products and processes are transferred, together with industry partners, from R&D status (Technology Readiness Level 3-4) to volume production and established in the market (“launch effect”). This ensures the loss-free transfer of R&D know-how to series production and thus to scalable value creation.
- Establishment of highly innovative, industry-level series pilot production capabilities, aiming to provide the basis for an energy-efficient, resource-saving, and CO2 neutral “Green Factory” of tomorrow. The project has direct links with the activities surrounding the RWTH Low Carbon Industry initiative.
- Excellent research and development expertise to overcome the “valley of death” between research and efficient, sustainable production of innovative series products.
- Centralized management and pooling of R&D activities (key accounting with dedicated contacts), management of cross-industry innovations, and joint representation of interests with international OEMs in cooperation with suppliers.
- Driver of – and role model for – the digitalization of the manufacturing industry.
- A digitally connected environment with the latest communication standards (such as 5G) for operating a state-of-the-art R&D environment in which technologies can be translated into applications in a knowledge-based and model-supported manner.
- Use of innovative rapid technologies and a digital infrastructure to maximize the acceleration of prototype development and start-up processes for small batch sizes (“FastMake”). Close coupling with digital material development to stay ahead of the competition.
- Creating jobs, supporting small and medium-sized businesses, and providing professional training
- Skills and training platform for joint ramp-up with industry professionals for loss-free technology transfer from the Production Launch Center Aviation to upstream and downstream industrial companies and to international customers.
- Creation and retention of jobs, preventing the “brain drain” of skilled workers and experts from North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Attracting experts and professionals to North Rhine-Westphalia through attractive jobs
- Strengthening medium-sized suppliers through the joint development of sustainable high-tech solutions.
- For recruitment purposes: Close ties with research institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia and players in and around the University. Modern vocational and professional training of early-career staff in the company, including traditional apprenticeships.
With Aero-Park 1, a state-of-the-art aviation cluster is being created at the future Aachen-Merzbrück Research Airport, where innovations for climate-neutral aviation will be researched, developed, produced and tested in a competent network. The aim of AERO-Park 1 is to implement innovations in a modern working environment, with forward-looking energy generation and the integration of innovative mobility concepts. The new center will offer the general public an up-close and personal experience of climate-friendly innovation.
Source: StädteRegion Aachen
– Author: André Schievenbusch