More than 75 interested parties found their way to the DCMC innovation centre at Aviolanda Aerospace on Thursday 28 September 2023. On the agenda is a review of the EFRO OPZuid project that started in 2017 and which now comes to an end. To demonstrate the results of the project, the project partners presented the outcome of the various Work Packages through presentations and demonstrations to the audience. New innovations on composite inspection and repair were shown. In addition to looking back, there was also room for a preview of the future of DCMC. Martin Knegt, director of DCMC, welcomed the visitors. "Today is a special day and all parties that made DCMC possible are here to witness the results of the project." Partners of the project are the European Union, Ministry of Defence, Province of Noord-Brabant, Fokker Services Group, Royal NLR, TU Delft, SPECTO Aerospace, Rewin, BOM, Dutch Terahertz Inpsection Services, Damen Naval and Tiat Europe. "We started the OPZuid project in 2017 with ten partners and seven work packages. With the main goal: innovation in composite maintenance. This has brought us to where we are today: DCMC is a consortium for developing knowledge and expertise in the field of inspection, production, repair and maintenance of composites. Located in a beautiful physical innovation center at Aviolanda Aerospace nearby the Woensdrecht Airforce Base." After the introduction, Mr. Ivo van der Vlis, Managing Director of Aviolanda Aerospace, briefly introduced himself to the audience and emphasized the importance of innovations in MRO as well as his views on the position of Aviolanda to be a center where innovation takes place. RESULTS OF THE OPZUID PROJECTOf course, there is great interest in the question whether project OPZuid has achieved its intended goal. The event has been organized specifically to demonstrate the achievements of the project. Six work packages for inspection and repair have now been realized. To achieve this, NLR and TU Delft have grasped various innovations, of which demonstrations were given during the event. The seventh work package focused on the development of DCMC as a center of knowledge and expertise, in which both regional business development centers REWIN and BOM played an important networking role. In collaboration with ACRATS Training Services, a physical innovation center has been realized. In addition, there is a focus for network development and international collaborations. Of course, we aim to attract more partners in the future."…
Category: NEWS
Dear relation,
Arriving at the end of the year 2022, we can look back on a successful year for DCMC, the Development Center for Maintenance of Composites. This year, after two disrupted years, we were able to work on normalizing working conditions again and we see that initiatives are once again possible to make our industry more efficient, cleaner and more sustainable. For DCMC, the year started positively by entering into cooperation with ACRATS, the specialist in the field of composite repair training. With the ACRATS team we worked on finishing the shared facility of DCMC and ACRATS at Aviolanda Aerospace business park. On May 25th of this year we celebrated the official opening of the facility, together with our partners, relations and representatives of local authorities.
The fact that DCMC is becoming more widely known in the Dutch ecosystem was confirmed by various requests from network organizations to organize their member meetings at our location. The participants had the opportunity to experience that Aviolanda Aerospace, the location of DCMC, is a center where various innovative organizations work on the maintenance of both military and civilian aircraft and helicopters. Yet, we are at the beginning of the process of further developing the site into the center where the execution of aircraft MRO-sector and the development of new technologies in the field of sustainable maintenance come together.
There are already many technology developments that are aimed at strengthening the manufacturing industry in the Netherlands in particular, supported by national subsidy programs such as the Growth Fund and Mobility Fund. Many of these technologies may also be applicable within the MRO-sector but lack the right connection with this sector. At DCMC we can make this connection by linking the MRO-sector to the parties that are active within the aforementioned innovation programs such as start-ups, scale-ups, research- and training institutes, etc. Together we can work on our goal to develop technology in the field of composite maintenance for both the aviation sector as well as other industrial sectors where composite constructions are increasingly being used.
In 2023 DCMC will organize various events where technologies and innovations in the field of composite maintenance can be shared and experienced. Visit our website www.composite-maintenance.com where we will post news and announcements about these events. We cordially invite you to contact us and investigate what opportunities there are to put innovations into practice in the maintenance sector.
On behalf of DCMC and its partners, I wish you happy holidays and a successful 2023!
With kind regards,
Martin Knegt, Director DCMC
2022: Looking ahead Dear relation, Arriving at the end of the year 2022, we can look back on a successful year for DCMC, the Development Center for Maintenance of Composites. This year, after two disrupted years, we were able to work on normalizing working conditions again and we see that initiatives are once again possible to make our industry more efficient, cleaner and more sustainable. For DCMC, the year started positively by entering into cooperation with ACRATS, the specialist in the field of composite repair training. With the ACRATS team we worked on finishing the shared facility of DCMC and ACRATS at Aviolanda Aerospace business park. On May 25th of this year we celebrated the official opening of the facility, together with our partners, relations and representatives of local authorities. More about this event can be found on our website via Aviolanda: Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (DCMC) opens its doors at Business Park Aviolanda – Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (composite-maintenance.com). The fact that DCMC is becoming more widely known in the Dutch ecosystem was confirmed by various requests from network organizations to organize their member meetings at our location. The participants had the opportunity to experience that Aviolanda Aerospace, the location of DCMC, is a center where various innovative organizations work on the maintenance of both military and civilian aircraft and helicopters. Yet, we are at the beginning of the process of further developing the site into the center where the execution of aircraft MRO-sector and the development of new technologies in the field of sustainable maintenance come together. There are already many technology developments that are aimed at strengthening the manufacturing industry in the Netherlands in particular, supported by national subsidy programs such as the Growth Fund and Mobility Fund. Many of these technologies may also be applicable within the MRO-sector but lack the right connection with this sector. At DCMC we can make this connection by linking the MRO-sector to the parties that are active within the aforementioned innovation programs such as start-ups, scale-ups, research- and training institutes, etc. Together we can work on our goal to develop technology in the field of composite maintenance for both the aviation sector as well as other industrial sectors where composite constructions are increasingly being used. In 2023 DCMC will organize various events where technologies and innovations in the field of composite maintenance can be shared and…
News DCMC Demonstration Event Large Area Inspection of Composites On Wednesday 16 November 2022, the Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (DCMC) in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) organised a demonstration of advanced large-scale inspection techniques of composite structures. The demonstration is the result of one of the Workpackages (WP2) of the EFRO OPZuid Project PROJ-00730 – Fieldlab DCMC and gives a glimpse into an innovative application of non-destructive inspection techniques (NDI). The demonstration took place in the recently opened facility of DCMC and ACRATS at the Aviolanda Aerospace business park in the presence of a large number of representatives of the civil and military aircraft maintenance industry. Due to the increasing use of composites as a construction material in aircraft construction, the demand for fast and efficient inspection techniques is increasing. Members of NLR's NDI project group gave an interactive session to combine the results from various non-destructive inspection techniques into a 3D scan of the inspected object. The methods used were 3D structural light scanning and Lock-in thermography. Normally the methods Thru-transmission thermography and Laser shearography are also applied there, but due to the available time of the demonstration, only the results of these techniques were shown in the final 3D scan. During the demonstration, an aircraft radome was used as an inspection object with which the technology could be shown to the attendees. By first showing the results of the various inspection methods, it became clear what the possibilities and limitations of each method are. In the end, the results were combined into a complete image that was shown via a 3D scan of the inspected object and with which the condition of the object was clearly visible. During the demonstration event, a second innovative inspection technique was also shown that is currently being developed by a group of students from the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of Delft University of Technology under the supervision of NLR. The topic 'Swarm of Inspection Drones' indicates that a methodology has been developed with which multiple drones in conjunction with each other can carry out an automated, visual inspection of a large object, such as an aircraft, wind turbine, ship, infrastructure object, etc. By means of an interactive presentation, the technique was explained, after which the attendees could experience the technique from the inside using a HoloLens. The attached photos give an impression of the event.…
News Aviolanda: Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (DCMC) opens its doors at Business Park Aviolanda "With the arrival of the Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (DCMC), Business Park Aviolanda has gained an expertise center. On Wednesday, May 25, about 120 guests gathered to attend the festive opening of the field lab. Martin Knegt, director of DCMC is proud: 'I hope that this location will play an important role in the development of new technologies in aviation to strengthen the region.'"Read the full article:Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (DCMC) opens its doors at Business Park Aviolanda - Aviolanda
News Omroep Brabant: Nieuwste vliegtuigonderdelen zijn sterk en licht, maar repareren is een vak "Moderne vliegtuigen en helikopters worden voor een steeds groter deel gemaakt van composieten. Dit zijn hoogwaardige kunststoffen die zo sterk en licht zijn, dat ze metaal kunnen vervangen. Maar er is ook een keerzijde. Reparatie en onderhoud van deze onderdelen is enorm ingewikkeld en de techniek staat eigenlijk nog maar in de kinderschoenen. Een nieuw kenniscentrum op luchtvaartbedrijvenpark Aviolanda in Hoogerheide is uniek voor Europa en moet dit probleem gaan oplossen."Lees het volledige artikel op:Nieuwste vliegtuigonderdelen zijn sterk en licht, maar repareren is een vak - Omroep Brabant
News BN DeStem: Composiet-specialist DCMC opent op Aviolanda: ‘Hier profiteren ook Fokker en Luchtmacht van’ "In vliegtuigen zit steeds meer composiet, maar het onderhoud van dit materiaal staat nog in de kinderschoenen. Het innovatieve DCMC in Hoogerheide moet daar verandering in brengen. De officiële opening van het zogeheten Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (DCMC) lokte woensdag dan ook tientallen belangstellenden uit de luchtvaartindustrie naar Business Park Aviolanda."Lees het volledige artikel op:Composiet-specialist DCMC opent op Aviolanda: ‘Hier profiteren ook Fokker en Luchtmacht van’ | Bergen op Zoom | bndestem.nl
News Announcement of the official opening of DCMC We are proud to announce that on Wednesday 25 May the official opening of the Development Center for Maintenance of Composites (DCMC) will take place at Aviolanda Aerospace in Woensdrecht.DCMC and ACRATS Training Services are joining forces and have physically bundled the field lab and training centre in a new home at Aviolanda Aerospace. Here, innovations in the field of composite inspection and repair are combined with training in the world of aircraft maintenance technology and applied in practice.www.composite-maintenance.comwww.acrats.nlwww.aviolanda.nlDCMC is powered by: And partners:
News 2021: End of year message By Martin Knegt, Managing Director DCMCThe end of the year is always a good moment for reflection. What did we achieve at DCMC in the past year? What is the current state of our industry, which has been heavily affected by the worldwide pandemic?Important industry developmentsIn a recent EU conference on the aerospace engine market, Aviation Week shared its prognosis for the recovery of the aerospace industry: based on aircraft deliveries, in 2024 the industry will reach the same level as in 2019, before the pandemic started. Other industry sectors, such as the wind turbine industry, may see a faster recovery powered by governmental investments to speed up the transition from fossil fuels to electrical power with lower emissions to reach the global CO2 emission goals.These industry developments are important to DCMC, since, as part of this transition, many new products will use lightweight materials such as composite materials and hybrid structures. Without doubt, these products also require techniques for maintenance, inspection and repair that meet or even exceed the efficiency levels common to maintenance on traditional materials. At DCMC, in cooperation with industry parties and institutions, we focus on the development of these techniques and bring them to the MRO market.2021: communication and connectionsIn 2021, we concentrated on communicating with the market to highlight our current projects as part of the EU-EFRO development fund OPZuid (ie PROJ-00730 Fieldlab DCMC). Last April, we organized a webinar which covered these projects and also included a panel discussion on the subject with industry leaders such as Boeing, the Dutch Air Force and the Netherlands Aerospace Group (NAG). The webinar, including videos of the projects, can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Meanwhile, we worked with groups of students from AVANS University of Applied Sciences (Breda, the Netherlands) to create ideas for expanding our network and attracting more partners. In October, we were invited by our partner Fokker Services Group to share their booth at the MRO-Europe in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. At this live event, we met with numerous representatives of the industry and made new connections.Installation of DCMC FieldlabAn important recent development is the installation of the DCMC Fieldlab at Aviolanda Aerospace in Woensdrecht, the Netherlands. Alongside MRO organizations such as Fokker Techniek, LCW of the Dutch Air Force, educational institutions and a number of SMEs, DCMC is positioned in an MRO ecosystem that is expanding…
News BN De Stem: Interview met Martin Knegt over de missie en visie van DCMC op het gebied van composiet reparatietechnieken "Composiet, oersterk maar licht, wordt steeds vaker toegepast in vliegtuigen en bij de bouw van panden, schepen, auto’s, bruggen en windmolens. De reparatietechniek staat echter nog in de kinderschoenen. Het nieuwe DCMC op luchtvaartbusinesspark Aviolanda in Hoogerheide moet hét kennis-, opleidings- en onderhoudscentrum voor composiet worden."Lees het volledige artikel op:https://www.bndestem.nl/bergen-op-zoom/composiet-maakt-vliegtuig-ijzersterk-dit-bedrijf-weet-waarom-en-hoe-je-het-onderhoudt
News Interview met Martin Knegt, Managing Director DCMC, op Innovation Origins 'DCMC in Woensdrecht wil hét mondiale expertisecentrum worden voor onderhoud in composieten'. Zo luidt de kop van het artikel van Innovation Origins. Martin Knegt, Managing Director van DCMC, sprak met het onafhankelijk journalistiek platform over innovaties op het gebied van onderhoud in de vliegtuigindustrie én de opening van het DCMC fieldlab op Business Park Aviolanda. Lees het volledige artikel op: https://innovationorigins.com/nl/dcmc-in-woensdrecht-wil-het-mondiale-expertisecentrum-worden-voor-onderhoud-in-composieten/