THE ACHIEVEMENTS

The aerospace and drone industries face major environmental and competitive challenges. Materials, processes, and structures are ubiquitous components in which innovation is a key factor for success.

The SMP Ecosystem of Excellence (E² SMP) aims to promote innovation and development in Structures, Materials, and Processes by facilitating interactions between industrial and academic players in these technological fields.

The past year has seen the creation of the E² SMP roadmap based on the expectations of the Strategic Sectors of Aeronautics, Space, and Drones. The team of E² SMP experts and facilitators is involved in the development and implementation of this roadmap.

The field of additive manufacturing is complex and evolving. E² SMP's ambition is to enable potential users to find the best technology for their applications and contexts. Multi-technology and multi-material events are one way of achieving this.

E² SMP has helped to develop projects where additive manufacturing enables technological breakthroughs that deliver efficiency gains and new uses for embedded systems, while reducing the amount of material used and therefore the consumption of natural resources. For the aerospace industry, energy management through exchangers or generators, as well as rocket propulsion systems, have been the driving forces behind this. The combination of the technical expertise of the E² SMP team and the know-how of the Cluster's Innovation team has supported project leaders.

Another ambition of E² SMP is to interact in an industrial context to propose players who provide innovative solutions in response to the challenges posed by equipment manufacturers or integrators. Twenty-five member companies of the Cluster were approached in this context. 

 

LOOKING BACK:

 

  • May 2024 | Forum by Aerospace Valley 2024: Additive manufacturing workshop. 40 participants.
  • October 2024 | Additive Manufacturing Day: Multi-materials and multi-processes. Co-hosted with the Occitanie economic development agency. 40 participants. October 2024.
  • October 2024 | Innoday by Aerospace Valley 2024: Participation in the LIEBHERR challenge. 12 companies supported. October 2024 to March 2025.
  • November 2024 | Techno Café: “Improving Surface Performance and Sustainable Management of Pickling Baths.” Co-organized with the Belgian cluster SKYWIN. 15 participants.