These days, SUSTAINair project partner INVENT GmbH celebrates its 25th anniversary. Nomen is omen also in the case of INVENT, which stands for “Innovative Verbundwerkstoffe, Realisation & Vermarktung neuer Technologien”. In English that reads: Innovative composites, realisation & marketing of new technologies. Connected and rooted in the Braunschweig research region, INVENT GmbH operates across European borders and into the Asian market.

INVENT and DLR in Braunschweig

INVENT´s history is tightly connected with the DLR in Braunschweig. Even though the formal connection has ceased, the informal one persists. INVENT started as a spin-off of the Institute of Lightweight Design and Adaptronics of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Braunschweig. Today in 2021, INVENT is a medium-sized company with around 90 employees, based on the three business areas of aviation, space travel and industry for orders from other sectors, for example, rail, automotive or wind energy.

INVENT and composites 

INVENT is working in lightweight composite design, which initially played a significant role in aerospace but is now increasingly gaining importance in other high-tech areas. Composites have found place in industries where weight savings bring economic advantages and where demands for extreme resilience in terms of thermal, mechanical, electrical, and radiation-protection, are only rising. INVENT is a company that is firmly integrated into international aerospace and aviation projects, where composites reduce the weight of the materials, thus increasing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. 

In SUSTAINair, the company´s passion for innovation and excellence pushes the boundaries while taking on the responsibility for lowering the industrial environmental footprint. Among the expected results of INVENT´s participation in the SUSTAINair project are novel approaches to the cleaner production process, resource efficiency (zero waste) and reduced costs, and the development of new products.

INVENT and SUSTAINair

In SUSTAINair, INVENT is developing new concepts for recycling FRP (fibre reinforced plastics) production waste during INVENT´s production operations. Another highlight of the company´s involvement in SUSTAINair is to further the development of ideas for the innovative separation of bonded joints. Here, the focus is on the investigation of innovative repairing approaches and the 1st and 2nd life of aerospace and aviation components. Composites with integrated functional layers, for example, elastomers for morphing, allowing gapless wings, thus improving the airflow, would be just one example of new products. Within SUSTAINair, the company participates in all work packages while leading the work package on demonstrator manufacturing lead.

Most recently, SUSTAINair project members at INVENT took part in the 2021 EU Green Week Partner Event ‘Market-driven Circular & Bioeconomy’. Jesper de Wit presented the motivation and benefits of INVENT´s participation in SUSTAINair project, while his colleague Stefan Steeger took part in the panel discussion. More here.

Resources 

• Read the full article 25 YEARS OF PASSION FOR COMPOSITES on the INVENT´s website here.
• More about INVENT´s role in SUSTAINair project here.
• Article about INVENT and SUSTAINair in CompositesWorld here.