The subsidiary of Airbus, APWorks GmbH’s works are officially rewarded with design awards. Receiving an award for a part they developed in an air vehicle, APWorks created reactions in 3D sector.
Airbus received the Federal Ecodesign Award for its innovative Bionic Partition design concept from Maria Krautzberger, President of the Federal Environment Agency. APWorks produced the part for Airbus using additive manufacturing.
The Bionic Partition divides the seating area and the galley of an airplane. The challenges in
making it were to include a cutout for emergency stretcher access and a fold down seat for cabin attendants. The engineers successfully implemented those requirements in the new design. The result is a product that weighs 45 percent less than conventional partitions due to design optimization and the use of Scalmalloy®. The weight reduction results in fuel savings and reductions in CO2 emissions of ten tons per aircraft per annum. Thanks to additive manufacturing and a modular structure, the partition can be installed in existing aircraft cabins. If required, individual components can be easily replaced. Furthermore, the material used is completely recyclable.
In the jury statement Professor Matthias Held, professor at the School of Design Schwäbisch Gmünd and board member of the German Society for Design Theory and Research DGTF, noted: “With the Bionic Partition Wall, Airbus is demonstrating in exemplary fashion the different possibilities offered by additive manufacturing.”