FUTURED. ZAL Magazin 2025

DIEHL AVIATION
22
Robert (right) is filling
the mold – a key step
in the recycling process
for fiberglass panels.
“HAVE THE COURAGE
FOR NEW IDEAS!”
When an airplane is decommissioned, essential
parts are mostly scrapped. And this
means valuable resources are lost. The innovation
team of Diehl Aviation wants to put an
end to this. At ZAL (Center of Applied Aeronautical
Research) in Hamburg, the team is
collaborating with universities in the Free
Hanseatic City to develop solutions that optimize
the recyclability of future aircrafts. The
most recent example is a solution explored in
a master’s thesis on recycling aircraft panels.
Panels in an aircraft are used as side walls lavatory
walls, and galleys. Their lightweight design
is ideal for aviation. However, the composite materials
used are costly to recycle. Robert Langer,
master’s student at the Hamburg University of
Applied Sciences (HAW), has dedicated his thesis
to reimagining what’s possible.
LESS IS MORE
“Partitions currently consist of about ten different
materials,” Robert explains. These include an
aramid paper honeycomb structure and a reinforcing
resin system on the inside, with pre-preg
fiberglass layers on the outside. And insertion or
attachment points made of laminated fabric,
adhesive, aluminum or plastics are attached at