REPAIR · Future RepAIR and Maintenance for Aerospace industry

The Project RepAIR will perform research on future repair and maintenance for the Aerospace industry. Therefore the onsite maintenance and repair of aircraft by in-tegrated direct digital manufacturing is in the focus of this project. The main objective of RepAIR is to shift the “make” or “buy” decision towards the “make” decision by cost reduction in the remake and rework of spare parts and therefore improve cost efficiency for maintenance repair in aeronautics and air transport. A crucial advantage of this technology is the flexible availableness (even at the gate) allowing on-time maintenance. Through a higher level of automation und fewer stages of production, less personal costs are necessary which therefore reduce the MRO costs. These operations require a higher qualification and promote the preservation and expansion of highly qualified workplaces in Europe. Moreover, the storage costs will be significantly reduced. As only the raw material needs to be stored, instead of having to have in stock up to 3.6 million spare parts for the multitude of airplanes and varieties of aircraft manufacturers, less capital is locked up. Additionally, hardly any energy – intensive produced raw material will be wasted or destroyed, but will be used optimally. When looking ahead, with the aid of AM technology, it will be possible to shorten the entire spare parts supply chain to sending an e-mail. The benefit for all those involved, including the environment, is obvious. New business models will become sustainable. Through a higher level of automation und fewer stages of production, less personal costs are necessary which therefore reduce the MRO costs. These operations require a higher qualification and promote the preservation and expansion of highly qualified workplaces in Europe and make them more competitable.