Dema Spa

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

DEMA’s Research and Development initiatives and activities, provides us state-of-the-art technical knowledge and innovative industrial skills. Our goal is to be more competitive and to serve OEMs effectively.
Our R&D department works closely with top universities, research centers as well as other companies, sharing with them knowledge and experience. The result: DEMA keeps innovating.

Our research laboratories are registered in the Italian Registry of research laboratories of the Ministry of Education, Universities, and Research (MIUR).

Among the R&D programs implemented:

  • Hot forming and super-plastic forming:
    Development of analytical design techniques and production processes for complex-shaped sheet metal components in titanium alloys (in collaboration with: Alenia Aermacchi, University of Calabria);

  • Resin Transfer Molding Technology:
    Development of manufacturing processes and industrial capacities to produce composite materials with RTM technology (in collaboration with: Alenia Aermacchi, CIRA-Italian Aerospace Research Center, La Sapienza University, CNR-National Research Council);

  • Acoustic panels for engine nacelles:
    Development of analytical tools and new technologies to produce acoustic panels for engine nacs (in collaboration with: Pratt & Whitney Canada, University of Sherbrooke, CRIAQ-Aerospace Research and Innovation Consortium in Québec, Dema Aeronautics);

  • Development of technologies related to out-of-autoclave materials, including:
    • Thermoplastic composites and the thermoforming process with which technological demonstrators have been realized, such as passenger doors, tail booms and engine shrouds.
    • Automatic lamination processes (AFP) for the production of complex fuselages with the support of numerical methods for the calculation of virtual admissions (VA);

  • Participation as a core member in the Clean Sky and Clean Sky 2 research platforms:
    The objective of the 7th Framework Program of the European Union is to demonstrate and validate the most appropriate technologies for noise and pollution reduction for regional aircraft that will enter the market in 2025 (in collaboration with: Airbus, Cira, Alenia Aeronautica, EADS-CASA, ATR).
    Similarly on H2020, out-of-autoclave technologies are under analysis to allow a re-enginering to cost of regional aircraft with the aim to increase the green percentage of composite materials (recycled).

  • Development of a remotely piloted fixed-wing platform with a take-off weight (MTOW) of 220 kg.
    Development of manufacturing processes and industrial capacities to produce composite materials with RTM technology (in collaboration with: Alenia Aermacchi, CIRA-Italian Aerospace Research Center, La Sapienza University, CNR-National Research Council);

  • Support for the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as digitization of production processes, predictive maintenance, modular and intelligent equipment, integrated prognosis systems.