DLR uses Aibuild to combine AFP and 3D printing

The DLR Institute of Structures and Design (Stuttgart and Augsburg, Germany) works to make future structures lighter. A recent project by the Component Design and Manufacturing Technologies department, with the support of software from Aibuild (London, U.K.), is advancing in situ additive manufacturing (AM) technologies designed to improve aerospace production flexibility, reduce tooling requirements and support more efficient fabrication of lightweight composite structures. The initiative combines automated fiber placement (AFP) with robotic 3D printing and digital process control to enable more scalable production of complex aerospace components.

Key developments include:

• In situ printing of high-performance thermoplastics directly onto composite laminates.
• Integration of robotic fused granular fabrication (FGF) with AFP.
• Use of digital scanning and adaptive tool paths for accurate deposition on curved structures.
• Reduced dependence on dedicated tooling and molds.
• Improved process repeatability and geometric accuracy for aerospace-grade parts.
• Potential reductions in manufacturing lead time, material waste and production costs.

Aibuild is a software company founded in 2015 by former architects at Zaha Hadid that provides AI-enabled platforms to automate industrial AM and engineering workflows from design (CAD) to production. Its software platform has played a critical role in this project by enabling real-time process optimization, adaptive print path generation and digital control of robotic manufacturing operations.

Aibuild’s software helped synchronize scanning, deposition and manufacturing data to improve print accuracy, bonding consistency and overall process reliability — capabilities that are becoming increasingly important as aerospace manufacturers push toward higher-rate production and more automated factory environments.

Read more in the LinkedIn article and in CW content on continuous fiber 3D printing and AFP.