DEMAT · A multi-technological approach for Dematerialising the production systems within a view of productive, reliable and eco-efficient machining processes

The aim of this project is to dematerialise the machine tools and manufacturing systems that are designed and produced in Europe. Today, European machine builders, the vast majority of them SMEs, sell high performance and productive, but heavy, long-delivery-time and high-energy-consuming machines. The DEMAT project will provide these European companies with knowledge-based technologies and tools to transform them into providers of holistic manufacturing solutions where the machine tools will consist of ultra-light, adaptive and 100% recyclable skeletal structures with which the material content of machines will be reduced over 70% while fulfilling demands of machining precision and productivity. These dematerialised machines will be integrated with immaterial goods and services such as innovative win-win business models and human-capital based services. This holistic dematerialisation approach will thus break the link between production results and the material structure of machines, what will reduce the total-life-cycle impacts and costs of machines in a radical manner: - Total life-cycle impacts of machine tools will be reduced over 50% - Total life-cycle impacts of machine tools will be reduced over 20% In addition, machine design and build lead-time to markets will be reduced over 60%, passing from current 8 months for a catalogue machine and up to 24 months for customised manufacturing systems to below 3 months for catalogue machines and below 9 months for customised manufacturing systems. These breakthrough results will lead to increasing the agility of European producing companies, will tighten the networking among SMEs and will support transforming European machine tool industry into a knowledge-based, competitive, sustainable and value-adding sector. Moreover, this dematerialisation approach will allow saving 1.5 million tons of steel and 2.5 million tons of CO2 emission per year associated to the European annual production of machine tools.