Abseits der klassischen Leichtbaubranchen ist eine gezielte Gewichtsreduktion aufgrund der Mehrkosten, trotz ihrer großen Potenziale, stark gehemmt. In dieser Arbeit wird ein Konzept für einen systemischen Leichtbauentwicklungsprozess vorgestellt, der es ermöglichen soll, leichtere Produkte effizient zu entwickeln. Der Fokus liegt auf der integrierten Betrachtung der Domänen Produkt, Produktion, Werkstoff und Fügetechnologie.

Sustainability is a key challenge today. The high emission impact of the mobility sector requires a shift from internal combustion engines to electric traction motors. In order to improve sustainability holistically, the entire lifecycle from raw materials, manufacturing, use and end-of-life must be considered during development. Although a lot can be carried out to influence sustainability during the development phase, knowledge about the product is still very limited. Considering the main lifecycle stages already during the development phase requires a systematic development approach. Furthermore, integrating data from previous product generations is required. Generating a digital twin which collects data over the lifecycle is a useful tool which enables the prediction of evaluation criteria for the lifecycle stages. However, when using the digital twin, a suitable description model needs to be generated. A cross-lifecycle evaluation model based on Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate sustainability throughout the whole lifecycle. Information for evaluation was generated using a cross-lifecycle modeling approach, which enabled the combination of different lifecycle perspectives during development. To show the potential of evaluating different solutions from different perspectives, the methodology was demonstrated with a lightweight rotor of an electric traction motor. The great potential of the process model is shown.

Incorporating continuous carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CCFRP) parts within additive manufacturing processes presents a significant advancement in the fabrication of robust lightweight parts, particularly relevant to aerospace, engineering, and various industrial sectors. Nonetheless, prevailing additive manufacturing methodologies for CCFRP parts exhibit notable limitations. Techniques reliant on resin and extrusion entail extensive and costly post-processing procedures to eliminate support structures, constraining design versatility and complicating small-scale production endeavours. In contrast, laser sintering (LS) emerges as a promising avenue for industrial application. It facilitates the efficient and cost-effective manufacturing of resilient parts without needing support structures. However, the current state of research and technological capabilities has yet to yield an LS machine that integrates the benefits of continuous fibre reinforcement with the inherent advantages of the LS process. This paper describes the systematic development process according to VDI 2221 of a new type of LS machine with automated continuous fibre integration while keeping the advantages of the LS process. The resulting physical prototype of the machine is also presented. Furthermore, this study presents an approach to integrate the cost and Product Carbon Footprint of the process in the product design. For this purpose, a machine state model was developed, and the costs and Product Carbon footprint of a part were analysed based on the model. The promising potential for future lightweight products is demonstrated through the production of CCFRP parts.

Aufgrund von feuchteempfindlichen Materialien in den Batteriezellen sind bei der Produktion Trockenräume erforderlich. Die Entfeuchtung der großen Luftvolumina ist sehr energieintensiv. Modulare Produktionskonzepte mit als Microenvironment gekapselten Roboterzellen reduzieren die Luftvolumina und ermöglichen eine prozessspezifische Anpassung der Taupunkte. Durch Modularisierung der Microenvironments, der Schleusen und der Handhabungstechnik kann die Klimaumhausung näher an die Prozessmaschine gebracht werden.

The greatest influence on the economic and ecological sustainability of a product can be exerted in the early stages of product development. However, limited knowledge about the product makes it difficult to make decisions based on a solid data base. For this purpose, it is required to provide the necessary information for an economic and ecological evaluation as well as decision support during the design in the CAD system. This raises the question of how a sustainability assessment for the raw material and production phase can be carried out based on a 3D CAD model and the requirements for a part. For this purpose, this paper presents a methodology to generate feasible and assessable material and manufacturing process chain combinations. Furthermore, a methodology for automatic economic and ecological evaluation of the 3D CAD model is implemented. The result is a CAD assistant that enables decisions to be made directly within the CAD system based on economic and ecological criteria. A suitable database structure is developed to provide the necessary information. The CAD assistant is then demonstrated with two case studies, which show the possibilities of the developed tool.