New Large-Scale Equipment for Aerospace Research Milling machine offers new research opportunities for SE²A

The new travelling stand milling machine in the NFL community workshop. Photo credit: Heiko Schwarz/TU Braunschweig

The joint workshop of the Aeronautics Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFL) has been equipped with a new large-scale machine, a new travelling stand milling machine. The new machine offers new manufacturing possibilities and thus also expanded experimental possibilities for research into new wing models, flight propulsion systems and their interaction at TU Braunschweig, especially in the SE²A cluster of excellence. It can be used, for example, to simultaneously machine long structural components such as wing models with a higher milling accuracy. In addition, the milling machine accelerates the production of new experimental models and thus leads to the further expansion of the research activities of the institutes, facilities and the Cluster of Excellence SE²A involved in the joint workshop.

The new 5-axis CNC travelling stand milling machine was made possible by the project “GroFratil- Große Fräsmaschine für angewandte und innovative Luftfahrtforschung“ (GroFratil- Large milling machine for applied and innovative aerospace research). The project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund, five aerospace institutes of TU Braunschweig and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of TU Braunschweig with 515,000 euros.