Acceligence, Cetma DiMAT pilot project proves UAV concept development for SMEs

Cerberus UAV component breakdown. Sources (All Images) | Acceligence and Cetma Composites

Through the EU-funded DiMAT project, companies like unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developer Acceligence Ltd. (Nicosia, Cyprus), and advanced composites manufacturer Cetma Composites Srl (Brindisi, Italy) are demonstrating how digital twins, simulation tools and renewable composite materials are able to transform UAV development for SMEs. Concluding at the end of December 2025, the partners’ pilot project are now exploring commercialization efforts.

DiMAT – Digital Modeling and Simulation for Design, Processing and Manufacturing of Advanced Materials was a 36-month project supporting industry’s transition toward holistic industrial digitalization. The development of digital modeling, simulation and optimization technologies for each stage of the material value chain — design, processing and manufacturing — anticipated the improvement of quality, sustainability, effectiveness and competitiveness of materials. 

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Project consortia demonstrated and implemented four pilots, or industrial testbeds, representing four relevant material manufacturing sectors (polymer, composites, glass and graphite) to prove their applicability in real-world market environment conditions:

• Pilot 1: Synethetic textiles production (polymer) run by Natureplast SAS and Tecnored
• Pilot 2: UAV manufacturing with advanced composite materials (composites) run by Acceligence Ltd., Cetma Composites and Cetma
• Pilot 3: Innovation glass forming process in digital environment (glass) run by Hegla-Hanic GmbH
• Pilot 4: Speeding up the new product development process (graphite) run by Imerys Graphite & Carbon.

The Acceligence and Cetma Composites pilot demonstrates the power and versatility of the DiMAT Digital Toolkit when used to develop high-performance composite UAV structures (more about the pilot’s objectives here). Typically requiring expensive design tools, specialist modeling knowledge and lengthy testing cycles, DiMAT now makes it possible for small- to medium-sized companies to engage in advanced composite design with the same sophistication once reserved for major aerospace players.

Via the partners’ open digital toolbox, which includes, among other things, the Materials Designer, Materials Modeller, Materials Processing Simulator and Digital Twin for Process Control, smaller composite manufacturers are able to:

• Simulate composite behavior before manufacturing
• Optimize material compositions based on real performance needs
• Tune process parameters digitally rather than by trial and error
• Integrate data seamlessly across materials, design and production.

Using DiMAT’s Simulation & Optimisation Suite, users are also able to:

• Predict structural behavior (strength, stiffness, load response)
• Simulate composite layups, curing cycles and process deviations
• Identify defects or design weaknesses early
• Cut down on the number of physical prototypes needed.

This has the potential to dramatically shorten UAV R&D timelines from months to weeks, making innovation faster, cheaper and more reliable. 

 

Beyond speed and affordability, Acceligence and Cetma Composites are also pioneering sustainability in UAV manufacturing by testing renewable and recyclable materials for structural components, analyzing mechanical performance with DiMAT sub-models; manufacturing viability through digital process simulation; and life cycle cost and environmental impact via DiMAT’s MEC-LCA module. This enables data-driven decisions about material selection and production processes, ensuring UAV structures can be both lightweight and environmentally responsible.

Now, at DiMAT’s conclusion, the pilot companies are working on further deployment of their technologies and will continue working with solution providers to refine and adjust the toolkits to their operational needs.  Acceligence and Cetma Composites believe that the breakthroughs achieved will have wide-reaching impacts across composites manufacturing, lightweight mobility solutions and Europe’s broader shift toward greener, more agile industrial processes.