The LightCon also kept the promise of the program in terms of content: The organizers and speakers succeeded in creating a thematic arc from lightweight design and efficient production processes, including modern digital tools, to the circular economy and sustainable technologies.

In his keynote address, Prof. Dr. Jan Wörner, President of acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering, pointed out the importance of breaking new ground: “Inspiration comes from talking to people who have no idea what I’m doing.” In addition, he said, nature is an important source of inspiration for lightweight design: “Nature can do it, we have to look and learn.”

Keynote speeches by Warsaw University of Technology, Berlin Partner, Fassmer Schiffbau, Airbus Aerostructures and the German Aerospace Center made it impressively clear what an outstanding role research and innovation play, but also what leverage lightweight design gives industry to reduce CO2 emissions. In three parallel sessions, some 45 speakers from research, manufacturing and application repeatedly demonstrated how many starting points lightweight design offers for contributing to at least six of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“With the TTP-LB, the lightweight design transfer program, we want to accelerate these developments and shorten the time-to-market of innovative ideas,” emphasized Werner Loscheider from the BMWK, after whose presentation four exemplary projects of the funding program were presented. All of these projects focus not only on lightweight design as a central theme, but also on the optimization of process chains, energy efficiency in the production and use phases, and a reduction in complexity in order to simplify or even enable the recycling of products at the end of their life cycle.