On September 20 and 21, 2022, Composites United e. V. again organized an Innovation Day on the topic of repairing fiber composites in cooperation with the German Federal Armed Forces. The two-day presence event in Faßberg with 100 participants convinced with a successful mixture of research contributions and application examples from practice.

After a very successful Innovation Day “Composite Repair” in fall 2017, the working group “Composite Repair” of Composites United e. V. (CU) had now invited again in cooperation with the Transport Helicopter Regiment 10 and the Technical Training Center of the German Air Force to the Faßberg Air Base. 100 representatives from various disciplines accepted the invitation and came together on September 20 and 21, 2022 for a sustained exchange. The varied program of the two days gave the guests a comprehensive update on the further developments in the field of fiber composite repair over the last five years.

After the opening greetings by the Mayor of Faßberg, Kerstin Speder, and the patron of the event, Colonel Cay Goedelt (Commander Transport Helicopter Regiment 10), Marc Fette (CEO CTC GmbH) and Dr. Bastian Brenken (Cluster Managing Director CU North) led through the event. The technical presentations on the first day covered the entire process chain of a fiber composite repair, from damage detection to the actual repair and subsequent finishing. The speakers presented solutions from various industries, such as aviation, wind energy, shipbuilding and automotive.

The accompanying exhibition supported the event by combining theory and practice. The companies msquare GmbH, FEM-Composites GmbH, Invent GmbH, Bolle & Cords Elektrotechnik GmbH, Fraunhofer IFAM, Fraunhofer IKTS, and the European Repair Station of Airbus clearly presented their know-how as well as their topic-specific solution approaches. The exhibition was used intensively by the guests to inform themselves about the latest developments and to exchange ideas. In addition, the evening event with dinner buffet and live music also offered a relaxed atmosphere and sufficient opportunities for personal discussions and intensive networking.

On the second day, the German Armed Forces impressively presented their requirements and solutions in terms of repair methods for composite materials, both in lectures and in practice. During a 2.5-hour guided tour through the Faßberg air base, the guests had the unique opportunity to visit the German-French training facility for the Tiger combat helicopter, the training center as well as the repair of the NH90 transport helicopter and the technical training center of the German Air Force.

Dr. Bastian Brenken drew a very positive conclusion after the event: “Thanks to the exciting contributions of the speakers and the great support from the German Armed Forces, we were able to build on the success of the first event in 2017. Based on the very positive feedback from the participants, we are planning a continuation and a next Innovation Day Composites Repair in about 3 years. I am really looking forward to this!”