ZAero · Project

Inline Quality Control That Eliminates Aerospace Carbon Fibre Production Bottlenecks

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Imagine building airplane wings from carbon fibre — each part worth several hundred thousand euros. Right now, workers have to stop and visually inspect every layer as it's laid down, eating up 30% to 50% of production time. ZAero built automated cameras and machine learning systems that watch the manufacturing process in real-time, catching defects the moment they happen instead of after the expensive part is already finished. The result: faster production lines and far fewer scrapped parts that each cost a small fortune.

By the numbers

30%-50%

Productivity loss from manual visual inspection during lay-up

150 MEUR

Potential annual savings in production costs

60 planes/month

Planned A320neo production rate from 2025

Several hundred thousand EUR

Manufacturing cost per wing cover part

9 partners, 5 countries

Consortium size and geographic reach

3 demonstrations

Formal demo rounds with evaluation reports

The business problem

What needed solving

Aerospace manufacturers lose 30% to 50% of production time during carbon fibre lay-up because quality control still relies on manual visual inspection. This creates a massive bottleneck as production rates scale up — with each composite wing cover part costing several hundred thousand euros, defects caught too late mean catastrophic rework costs or scrapped parts.

The solution

What was built

The project built inline quality control systems using optical sensors and machine learning for automatic fibre placement and curing processes, plus decision support software that helps operators assess defects and plan part flow in real-time. Three demonstration rounds with evaluation reports were completed at production facilities of FIDAMC, MTorres, and Danobat, supported by Dassault Systèmes simulation tools.

Audience

Who needs this

Aerospace composites manufacturers scaling up carbon fibre productionAutomated fibre placement (AFP) machine builders adding smart inspectionWind turbine blade manufacturers with high composite scrap ratesAutomotive OEMs transitioning to carbon fibre structural partsQuality control system integrators serving the composites industry

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Aerospace composites manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Carbon fibre parts manufacturers supplying Airbus, Boeing, or tier-1 aerostructure companies

If you are a composites manufacturer losing 30%-50% of lay-up productivity to manual visual inspection — this project developed inline quality control systems using optical sensors and machine learning that monitor automatic fibre placement in real-time. The system was demonstrated across three production processes at FIDAMC, MTorres, and Danobat over 36 months, targeting savings of 150 MEUR per year on A320neo wing cover production alone.

Industrial automation and machine building

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of automated fibre placement (AFP) and composite lay-up machines

If you are a machine builder looking to add smart quality control to your lay-up equipment — ZAero developed inline inspection modules and decision support systems that integrate directly with dry fibre placement and automatic material placement processes. MTorres and Danobat, both machine builders in the consortium, tested these integrations during three demonstration rounds with evaluation reports.

Wind energy and large composite structures

enterprise

Target: Wind turbine blade manufacturers using automated composite lay-up

If you are producing large composite structures and struggling with end-of-line rejection rates — ZAero's inline monitoring approach detects defects during lay-up and curing, not after. The decision support system helps operators assess defects in real-time and plan part flow through the production line, which directly reduces rework cycles and scrap on any large-scale composite manufacturing operation.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much could this actually save us?

The project objective states savings of 150 MEUR in production costs per year, calculated for A320neo wing cover production at a rate of 60 planes per month. Each wing cover consists of two parts costing several hundred thousand euros each in manufacturing. Your actual savings scale with your production volume and current defect rates.

Has this been tested at industrial scale?

Yes. The consortium ran three formal demonstrations (at months 12, 24, and 36) at the production facilities of FIDAMC, MTorres, and Danobat. The final demonstration evaluated results from real production processes for automatic lay-up and curing. This is not a lab concept — it was tested on actual manufacturing lines.

What about IP and licensing?

The consortium includes Airbus (via Airbus Group Innovations and FIDAMC), Dassault Systèmes for simulation, and machine builders MTorres and Danobat. IP is likely shared among the 9 consortium partners across 5 countries. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator PROFACTOR GMBH or the relevant technology owner within the consortium.

What specific technologies were developed?

The project built inline quality control for two key process steps: automatic dry fibre placement and curing. It also developed decision support systems for defect assessment and production line planning, backed by simulation tools from Dassault Systèmes for part verification and logistical planning.

Can this work outside aerospace?

The core technology — optical sensors combined with machine learning for real-time composite defect detection — applies to any automated composite lay-up process. Based on available project data, the demonstrations focused on aerospace wing covers, but the inline inspection and decision support approach transfers to automotive, marine, and wind energy composite manufacturing.

Is this ready to deploy or still experimental?

The project completed all three planned demonstrations through month 36 and ran as an Innovation Action (IA), which targets near-market technologies. It closed in September 2019. The technology reached demonstration level in operational environments, though commercial product packaging would require engagement with the consortium partners.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavyweight industrial consortium with 67% industry partners (6 out of 9) and zero universities — a clear sign this was built to deliver deployable technology, not publish papers. Airbus anchors the consortium through its research centers Airbus Group Innovations and FIDAMC, providing the actual manufacturing use case (A320neo wing covers). Machine builders MTorres and Danobat bring the production equipment where the inspection systems need to integrate. Dassault Systèmes contributes simulation capability. PROFACTOR GMBH coordinates from Austria, with partners spanning 5 countries (AT, DE, ES, FR, UK). The presence of the full value chain — from end-user (Airbus) through machine builders to technology developers — means results are designed for real production lines, not theoretical scenarios.

PROFACTOR GMBHCoordinator · AT
M TORRES DISEÑOS INDUSTRIALES SAparticipant · ES
FUNDACION PARA LA INVESTIGACION, DESARROLLO Y APLICACION DE MATERIALES COMPUESTOSparticipant · ES
DASSAULT SYSTEMES UK LTDthirdparty · UK
DASSAULT SYSTEMESparticipant · FR
AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE GMBHparticipant · DE
IDEKO S COOPparticipant · ES
DANOBATparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

PROFACTOR GMBH is an Austrian research company based in Steyr. Contact their composites or industrial automation division for licensing or collaboration inquiries.

Order a report on this consortium See PROFACTOR GMBH profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the ZAero consortium? SciTransfer can connect you with the right partner for your specific composite manufacturing challenge — whether that's the inspection technology, the decision support system, or the simulation tools.

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