ComMUnion enables productive and cost effective manufacturing of 3D metal/ Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic (CFRT) multi-material components. ComMUnion will develop a novel solution combining tape placement of CFRTs with controlled laser-assisted heating in a multi-stage robot solution. High-speed laser texturing and cleaning will overcome the limitations of current joining technology to provide greatest performance joints. ComMUnion will rely on a robot-based approach enabling on-line inspection for layer-to-layer self-adjustment of the process. Moreover, tools for multi-scale modelling, parametric offline programming, quality diagnosis and decision support will be developed under a cognitive approach to ensure interoperability and usability. ComMUnion will address the following key innovations: - Texturing and cleaning based on high speed laser scanning for surface condition. - High-speed spatially resolved control of surface temperature profile. - Multi-scale metal/CFRP modelling, self-adaptive process control, and quality diagnosis based on multimodal active imaging. ComMUnion approach will decrease by 30% the consumption of titanium and boron steel, (costly alloys requiring critical materials). Besides, reinforcement of textured metallic surfaces with CFRT tapes will increase mechanical performance of multi-material components over 30% without cost increase. Manufacturing of two pilot-cases for automotive and aeronautics will demonstrate the scalability of the joining process. It will be possible trough a consortium with a strong involvement of industrial partners (73% of which 55% are SMEs). The outline of the business plan ensures the exploitation of the project results. With a target market of 2.000 companies and a fair estimate of 2% market penetration (5 years after the commercialization start), ComMUnion will result in 40M€/year incomes.

The industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing (AM) requires a holistic data manThe industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing (AM) requires a holistic data management and integrated automation. INTEGRADDE aims to develop an end-to-end Digital Manufacturing solution, enabling a cybersecured bidirectional dataflow for a seamless integration across the entire AM chain. The goal is to develop a new manufacturing methodology capable of ensuring the manufacturability, reliability and quality of a target metal component from initial product design via Direct Energy Deposition (DED) technologies, implementing a zero-defect manufacturing approach ensuring robustness, stability and repeatibility of the process. To achieve this aim, INTEGRADDE addresses following key innovations: - Development of an intelligent data-driven AM pipeline. - Combination of automatic topology optimisation algorithms for design, multi-scale process modelling, automated hardware-independent process planning, online control and distributed NDT for the manufacturing of certified metal parts. - A self-adaptive control is adopted focused on the implementation of non-propagation of defects strategy. Moreover, Data Analytics will provide a continuous refinement by acquiring process knowledge to assist in the manufacturing of new metal components, improving right-first-time production by adopting a mass customization approach - Cybersecurity ensures data integrity along the AM workflow, providing a novel manufacturing methodology for the certification of metal AM parts. INTEGRADDE implements a twofold deployment approach for the pilot lines: both in application-driven at five industrial end-users (steel, tooling, aeronautics, and construction) and open-pilot networks at RTOs already owning AM infrastructure (AIMEN, IREPA, CEA, WEST). This will allow a continuous validation and deployment of specific developments towards industrialization, boosting definitive uptake of AM in EU metalworking sector.

Current industrial markets demand highly value added products offering new features at a low-cost. Bio-inspired surface structures, containing features in the nanometer/micrometer scales, offer significant commercial potential for the creation of functionalized surfaces. In this aim technologies to modify surfaces instead of creating composites or spreading coatings on surfaces can offer new industrial opportunities. In particular, laser surface texturing, has shown to be capable to obtain advanced functionalities, especially when sources operating at pulse durations of nanosecond (short) and picosecond and femtosecond (ultra short) are used. LAMPAS will significantly increase the potential of laser structuring for the design of newly functionalized surfaces by enhancing the efficiency, flexibility and productivity (over 1 m²/min) of the process based on the development of a high power ultra-short laser system as well as strategies and concepts for beam delivery. This will be performed by combining the outstanding characteristics of two laser technologies, being Direct Laser Interference Patterning and Polygon Scanner processing. The expected results to be obtained in this project will provide the European industry with a cost effective and robust technology, capable of producing a broad range of functional surfaces on large areas at outstanding throughputs, bringing Europe a chance to lead in this key area of surface treatment. LAMPAS consortium covers the full value chain for laser surface texturing and has access to demanding markets. In addition, an in-line surface characterisation to enable rapid feedback about the target topography as well as to control surface temperature during the laser process will be included.

MAShES proposes a breakthrough approach to image-based laser processing closed-loop control. Firstly, a compact, snapshot, and multispectral imaging system in the VIS/MWIR spectral range will be developed. This approach will enable a multimodal process observation that combines different imaging modalities. Moreover, it will enable an accurate estimation of temperature spatially resolved and independent on emissivity values, even for non-grey bodies and dissimilar materials. Secondly, a fully embedded approach to real time (RT) control will be adopted for efficient processing of acquired data and high speed -multiple inputs/ multiple outputs- closed-loop control. Thirdly, a cognitive control system based on the use of machine learning techniques applied to process quality diagnosis and self-adjustment of the RT control will be developed. As a result, a unified and compact embedded solution for RT-control and high speed monitoring will be developed that brings into play: - The accurate measurement of temperature distribution, - The 3D seam profile and 2D melt pool geometry, - The surface texture dynamics, and process speed. MAShES control will act simultaneously on multiple process variables, including laser power and modulation, process speed, powder and gas flow, and spot size. MAShES will deal with usability and interoperability issues for compliance with cyber-physical operation of the system in a networked and cognitive factory. Moreover, standardisation issues will be addressed regarding the processes and the control system and contributions in this regard are envisaged. MAShES will be designed under a modular approach, easily customizable for different laser processing applications in highly dynamic manufacturing scenarios. Validation and demonstration of prototypes of MAShES system will be done for laser welding and laser metal deposition (LMD) in operational scenarios at representative end-user facilities.

ambliFibre will develop and validate the first intelligent model-based controlled laser-assisted tape winding system for fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (FRP) components. This system will include optical non-contact monitoring and innovative Human-Machine-Interfaces, which are easily manageable for the worker. Based on thermal and optical models embedded into integral process simulation tools combined with novel machine and laser technologies, for the first time a tape winding system will be realised which is able not only to drastically reduce the occurring waste, but also predict potentially arising failure in order to reduce machine downtimes. Statistical reliability and maintenance models for detection of critical elements and definition of their reliability will also prevent sudden machine breakdowns and allow defining the most cost-efficient maintenance schedule. Thus ambliFibre will be a major breakthrough for the continuous and discontinuous production of neuralgic tape-winded tubular composite components, such as gas tanks for automotive application, pressure vessel housings for the desalination of sea water or composite ultra-deep-water risers which are all affected by rapidly changing product requirements concerning both, material and design. With respect to changing and challenging environmental influences, quick adaptability, failure-free quality and safe operation over the complete life-cycle are mandatory. The successful application of the ambliFibre results will dramatically accelerate the replacement of metal components in these domains, reducing the carbon footprint thanks to the low weight and long life cycle of FRP components and provide new opportunities for European manufacturers in global, high-value multi-billion € markets. ambliFibre is conceived as a small collaborative project lasting 36 months and will be submitted to the call FoF 14 – 2015: Integrated design and management of production machinery and processes.