Dec 12, 2025
Successful project completion in the DiDe4Rec project
DiDe4Rec consortium at the Institute for Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK).
The DiDe4Rec research project (https://plattform-forel.de/dide4rec/, https://leichtbauatlas.de/de/project/view/162/digitaler-design-4-recycling-prozess-fuer-faserverstaerkte-leichtbaustrukturen) came to a successful ends with the final event 2025 at the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) in Dresden. After three years of intensive collaboration, the consortium can look back on the most important results for recyclable lightweight products.
Sustainable and efficient use of resources through circular value flows is essential for addressing the ecological challenges of the 21st century. In the DiDe4Rec project, “Design for Recycling” combined with lightweight engineering was identified as a key lever for supporting industry and society on the path toward a circular economy. The results demonstrate how ecological requirements and technical performance can be successfully aligned in product development.
The objective of DiDe4Rec was to develop and validate a holistic development approach for circular lightweight products based on fiber-reinforced polymers. This approach is now available in the form of a sustainability-oriented design catalogue, comprising methods and practical guidelines, as well as digital tools. It enables product developers to systematically consider the ecological dimension of circularity alongside technical requirements already during the design phase.
Within the project, the developed methods were implemented exemplarily for two process chains, thermoforming and injection molding of lightweight products, and validated using demonstrator components.
At the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology, the focus was placed on investigating the complex interactions between product development, use, reprocessing, and reintegration in injection molding. Based on extensive experimental series and data analysis, a parametric material map was established that describes material behavior depending on the proportion of recyclate and the addition of virgin material. These findings provide an important basis for more closely aligning component design, process control, and recycling strategies in the future.
The project consortium consisted of eight partners from academia and industry and was coordinated by Forward Engineering GmbH. Additional partners included Baumüller Gruppe, Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials GmbH, Centrotherm Systemtechnik GmbH, Symate GmbH, and the Institut für Textiltechnik Augsburg gGmbH. The project was supported by VDMA e.V. AG Hybride Leichtbau Technologien, Geba Kunststoffcompounds GmbH, Simutence GmbH, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology.
The results generated within the project will be incorporated into subsequent research activities, where they will be further refined, validated, and transferred to additional fields of application. Moreover, the insights gained are being systematically integrated into the institute’s teaching activities to shape the mindset of future engineers toward sustainability-oriented product development at an early stage.