Increasing the sustainability of composite manufacturing processes by using algorithm-based optimisation and evaluation for process chain design

Fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) are ideal for lightweight applications because of their superior weight-specific mechanical properties. Yet, many lightweight parts are still made of classic construction materials due to the resource and scrap intensive FRP production. The methods of operations research (OR) are a key enabler to overcome this problem and to facilitate a more sustainable use of production, planning and material resources. OR models are being used in other industries to reduce the costs for process planning by up to 45%. However, those methods have yet to be transferred and validated for planning of FRP production. The use of novel optimisation models offers the potential to utilise resources more efficiently and reduce development times by proper planning. This paper is about the development of a sustainable and resource-efficient methodology that implements OR models into the FRP planning process and offers the potential to reduce costs significantly.