The automotive and aerospace industries are two of the most relevant sectors within the manufacturing industry in Spain, contributing a combined 11% to the country’s GDP.

The competitiveness of these two sectors, as well as the Spanish manufacturing sector in general, increasingly depends on their ability to produce high-value and differentiated products, based on controlled production costs, ensuring quality, and minimizing time to market efficiently and sustainably. All of this necessitates a paradigm shift in manufacturing through the introduction of new intelligent manufacturing technologies that can guarantee production efficiency (through flexible and reconfigurable production systems) and product quality. This is particularly important in the case of the increasingly frequent and necessary production of short batches resulting from the mass customization of products, whose life cycles are becoming shorter.

With this goal in mind, COMIC’s main objective is to research new concepts for comprehensive and efficient manufacturing of multimaterial components based on the definition of a digital architecture that enables flexible and intelligent manufacturing (through integrated data flow management in the design, engineering, and manufacturing phases), combined with the development of advanced manufacturing technologies (surface treatment, preforming, joining, forming, and post-processing) tailored to the characteristics of the component to be manufactured.

Pillar 1 – Development of new concepts for multimaterial components

Pillar 2 – Development of an embryonic data space for intelligent manufacturing of multimaterial components

Pillar 3 – Development of digital strategies for flexible and zero-defect manufacturing

Pillar 4 – Development of highly flexible processes for multimaterial manufacturing

Pillar 5 – Validation of flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing of multimaterial components in 3 use cases (2 from the Automotive sector and 1 from the Aerospace sector).

The COMIC consortium is composed of the following entities:

DGH Robotica Automatizacion y Mantenimiento Industrial – DGH is a leading company in the automotive sector in the field of advanced automation. It is headquartered in Valladolid and has other workplaces in Madrid, Vigo, and Barcelona, equipped with state-of-the-art workshops for the development, manufacturing, and testing of prototypes and pilot lines for R&D activities.

Autotech Engineering – Aautotech, based in Amorebieta-Etxano, is the global R&D center for chassis components of the GESTAMP group. It focuses on the design and development of chassis products, assembly technologies, and forming processes. AUTOTECH has press forming equipment and specific tools for manufacturing hybrid metal-composite components, which will be made available for the project.

Sofic Aero – Located in Sevilla, Sofitec specializes in comprehensive manufacturing solutions for aerospace structures, assembly, and repair of composite and metallic materials. It is a recognized and established Tier 1 supplier in the aerospace industry. SOFITEC has facilities for the production and assembly of both metal and composite components, which will be made available for the project.

Fagor Arrasate – With its headquarters in Arrasate, Fagor is an internationally recognized manufacturer of stamping and pressing systems, coil cutting machines, and processing lines for metal components. Fagor will provide 2 presses for the forming of automotive products. The company has its own R&D center (KONIKER).

Industria Especializada en Aeronáutica – Based in Sevilla, Inepasa has over 30 years of experience in providing comprehensive solutions for aerospace projects, including the design and manufacturing of tools, machining of components, and assembly of subassemblies.

Nunsys – Located in Paterna, Nunsys is an IT company that serves as a strategic partner for digital transformation in various industries. Their Software department will be heavily involved in the COMIC project, assigning a significant number of analysts and programmers with expertise in the required technologies for project development.

Endity Solutions – Headquartered in Elgoibar, Endity was spun off from CT IDEKO and is a recognized player in the development of autonomous NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) solutions, both integrable and standalone, for applications in different industrial sectors. They have specific test benches, inspection heads, and custom NDT scanners that will be made available for the project developments.

Managing Composites – Based in Madrid, Managing Composites is an engineering company focused on the development of designs and various simulations required to support the design process and achieve a final product that meets the specified requirements in different sectors. They have multiple workstations and CAD/CAE licenses for general and specific purposes, as well as access to a small workshop for assembly, characterization, and validation of prototypes, which will be made available for the project.

In addition, several renowned technological centers, including IDEKO, ITI, KONIKER, TEKNIKER, and AIMEN, are also involved as subcontracted entities in the project.