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As a recognised lightweight design specialist for innovative fibre composite technologies, we develop and manufacture high-precision structural components, from the initial idea to series production. Our focus is on the business areas of aerospace, aviation and industry.
In the industrial sector, we are active in the automotive, mechanical engineering, rail vehicle and shipbuilding industries, among others.

SPACE

Raumfahrt

AVIATION

Luftfahrt

Innovation

Industrie & Innovation

Technologies

Since 1996, our highly qualified team has been working on individual solutions for customers from all over Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The focus is primarily on fiber composite structures as customer-specific prototypes and series components. INVENT has an extensive range of machinery at its disposal for the manufacture and processing of its products.

Our wide-ranging portfolio, both in the area of versatile equipment and in the expertise of our employees, guarantees maximum flexibility with very high quality standards and customer-oriented implementation.

Learn more about our innovative technologies here.

Resin Injection & Infusion Process
Resin Injection & Infusion Process
Prepeg / Autoclave- Process
Prepeg / Autoclave- Process
Filament Winding Process
Filament Winding Process
Compression Moulding
Compression Moulding
machining
Machining
Painting & Coating
Painting & Coating
Adhesive Bonding
Adhesive Bonding
Assembly & Integration
Assembly & Integration
NEWS
INVENT Receives EU Funding to Develop Innovative Manufacturing Processes for Space Applications

INVENT Receives Funding for the Production of Space-Qualified Sandwich Panels Using the Out-of-Autoclave (OOA) Press Process

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Shaping the future sustainably: This requires the ecologically pioneering and economically sensible realization of high-tech products made of fiber composites such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) or glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP).

We can refer to many years of experience in the field of fiber composite technology.
As a competent development partner, we have a comprehensive range of services at our disposal,
from which our customers benefit.

With reliability, precision, flexibility, individuality and sustainable quality thinking
we meet the requirements of the demanding markets for lightweight structures.

INVENT GmbH Braunschweig

As a proven lightweight specialist for innovative fiber composite technologies in the aerospace, automotive, mechanical engineering, rail vehicle and shipbuilding industries, we have been developing and producing high-precision structural components since 1996 as an EN 9100 and Nadcap certified company, from the initial idea to series production.

In-house designers and engineers work very closely with a wide range of manufacturing specialists.
In this way, we offer our customers a complete package from a single source in terms of design, production planning, manufacturing processes, mechanical processing, joining and assembly, as well as painting and quality control.

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INVENT Company Video

INVENT manufactures high-precision structural components, from the initial idea to series production. Take a look behind the scenes.

30 years Invent GmbH

How it all began. The INVENT success story at a glance. Read more…

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Resin Injection & Infusion Process

Novel material combinations, a wide variety of shapes or precise geometries produced using resin injection or infusion processes are part of the daily business of our production team. Our expertise is backed up by a comprehensive range of equipment, so we are happy to meet all customer wishes and technical requirements.

For resin injection, we not only use a classic injection system, but also draw on the support of our autoclaves. The differential pressure process (DP-RTM) applied in this way then does not require pressure-stable, i.e. solid, two-part moulds: An enormous economic advantage for prototypes and small series.

Prepreg/Autoklav-Technik

Die drei Autoklaven sind die Zugpferde der Laminat- und Sandwich-Fertigung bei INVENT. Mit den Anlagen in den nutzbaren Abmessungen ø 800×1500, ø 1500×6000 und ø 2000×4500 mm steht nicht nur eine hohe Kapazität zur Verfügung.

Diese Größenstaffelung erlaubt auch stets einen möglichst energie-effizienten Betrieb für kleine, mittlere und große Bauteile.

Zum besonders präzisen und zeiteffizienten Zuschneiden der Prepreg-Lagen nutzt INVENT einen automatischen Cutter-Tisch.

Mit dieser Technik ist der Schneidprozess automatisiert. Auch die materialeffiziente Planung der geometrisch beliebig komplexen Zuschnitte in den gewünschten Faserrichtungen erfolgt software-gebunden „auf Knopfdruck“.
Neben der typischen Prepreg-Fertigung werden die Autoklaven bei INVENT auch für die Laminatherstellung im Harzinjektionsverfahren genutzt. INVENT wendet dabei das Differentialdruckverfahren (DP-RTM) an, welches ohne zweiteilige druckstabile Werkzeuge auskommt. Nach den Laminaten gehören die Strukturpaneele zum Tagesgeschäft der Autoklaven, sei es für das Sandwich-Bonding – also die Verklebung der Deckschichten mit dem Wabenkern – oder die Verklebung von Doppler-Laminaten, welche die Deckschichten lokal verstärken.

Filament Winding Process

Filament winding technology has accompanied INVENT since the company was founded, so that our wound components now contain more than 25 years of experience. In 2019, a new 5-axis machine was brought into operation, which enables it to produce components with maximum dimensions of 1.65 m in diameter and 4 m in length. This means that our product range extends from semi-finished products (“in-house prepregs”) to supports & struts and containers & tanks in all sizes to central tubes for spacecraft structures.

Compression Moulding

We use a press with 200 kN compression force for processing cut bulk masses, such as recyclates, or for special process variants in laminate and sandwich production. It has a clamping surface of 840 x 500 mm, an opreation height of up to 250 mm and can be heated up to 200 °C.

The press is used, among other things, for series components for the aerospace industry, for which the offcuts of larger prepreg components are used in a material-efficient way.

Machining

In the area of machining, CNC-controlled lathes and milling machines are used to produce machining operations on fibre composites and metal alloys with the highest tolerance requirements.

The variety and size of the equipment makes it possible to keep many process steps in-house, from simple production equipment to mould making (primarily from aluminium and polyurethane materials) to metallic component parts made from aluminium, titanium or steel and finally the components made from fibre composites.

Painting & Coating

Surfaces of fibre composite structures often require a coating adapted to the application, either functional or decorative. Our surface experts therefore process these surfaces with filler and primer as required before the coating is applied in the paint booth. The picture series shows examples ranging from the automotive sector to aviation applications and space components.

For our series components in aviation, we apply processes qualified according to Airbus QSPL.

Adhesive Bonding

Adhesive bonding is often the first choice when it comes to joining fibre composites: be it for the direct joining of fibre composite components to each other or be it for the connection to the metallic add-on parts. INVENT therefore has extensive experience in the use of a wide range of suitable adhesives and the corresponding technology. Whether film, injection or other pasty adhesives: for aerospace applications, appropriately qualified surface and processing techniques are available for many adhesives.

Assembly & Integration

Our process chains run through fibre composite production, machining, painting and bonding technology and often head to an assembly, the so-called integration. Here, the effort of the preceding process steps pays off when the precision is high and the components interact to fulfil the functional requirements of the overall product. Here, the effort of the preceding process steps pays off when the precision is high and the components interact to fulfil the functional requirements of the overall product. As in the other processes, only the combination of experience and equipment leads to success. Among other things, our team has access to high-precision laser trackers and measuring arms and uses individually adapted fixtures to align complex assemblies. Our timeline “25 years of INVENT” shows many more examples.

SUPPORT STRUCTURES

Primary structural elements of spacecraft and their equipment are partly supported by other, smaller components, so-called support or tertiary structures. INVENT offers here:

  1. Development of individual design solutions
  2. GFRP / CFRP and metallic (Al, Ti, Invar) structures
  3. Isostatic mounts
  4. Surface coatings on metal and CFRP (thermal, optical, electrical)
  5. (Partial) assembly

References:

  1. ExoMars
  2. MTG
  3. Metop-SG
  4. eROSITA
  5. Herschel
  6. EnMap
  7. Bepi Colombo
  8. SWARM
  9. MicroCarb
Stützstrukturen

Structural panel

Flat structural panels based on CFRP or aluminium facesheets and honeycomb cores are classic structural elements of spacecrafts. INVENT’s product portfolio for prototype and series production includes the following structural panel properties:
  1. CFRP or aluminum face sheets
  2. min. min. facesheet thickness 0.1 mm
  3. max. dimensions 4 x 2,5 m
  4. Heterogeneous honeycomb structure
  5. Local structural doublers
  6. Hot and cold bonding processes for inserts (different types)
  7. Grounding
  8. Surface coatings (optical, thermal, electrical)
  9. Suitable for high temperature applications
References:
  1. ExoMars TGO
  2. Sentinel 4
  3. Solar Orbiter
  4. eROSITA
  5. ELECTRA
  6. Galileo FOC
  7. Sarah
  8. FormoSat-5
  9. Heinrich Hertz
  10. MTG

Resin Injection & Infusion Process

Novel material combinations, a wide variety of shapes or precise geometries produced using resin injection or infusion processes are part of the daily business of our production team. Our expertise is backed up by a comprehensive range of equipment, so we are happy to meet all customer wishes and technical requirements.

For resin injection, we not only use a classic injection system, but also draw on the support of our autoclaves. The differential pressure process (DP-RTM) applied in this way then does not require pressure-stable, i.e. solid, two-part moulds: An enormous economic advantage for prototypes and small series.

Prepreg / Autoclave-Process

The three autoclaves are the driving forces behind laminate and sandwich production at INVENT. With the facilities in the usable dimensions ø80×150, ø150×600 and ø200×400 cm, not only a high capacity is available.

This size staggering also always allows the most energy-efficient operation possible for small, medium and large components.

For particularly precise and time-efficient cutting of the prepreg layers, INVENT uses an automatic cutter table.

With this technology the cutting process is automated. The material-efficient planning of the geometrically arbitrarily complex pre-forms in the desired fibre directions is also software-bound “by pushing a button”.
In addition to typical prepreg production, the autoclaves at INVENT are also used for laminate production in the resin injection process. INVENT uses the differential pressure process (DP-RTM), which does not require two-part pressure-stable moulds. Beyond the laminates, the structural panels are part of the daily business of the autoclaves, either for sandwich bonding – i.e. the bonding of the facesheets with the honeycomb core – or the bonding of doubler laminates, which locally reinforce the facesheets.

Filament Winding Process

Filament winding technology has accompanied INVENT since the company was founded, so that our wound components now contain more than 25 years of experience. In 2019, a new 5-axis machine was brought into operation, which enables it to produce components with maximum dimensions of 1.65 m in diameter and 4 m in length. This means that our product range extends from semi-finished products (“in-house prepregs”) to supports & struts and containers & tanks in all sizes to central tubes for spacecraft structures.

Compression Moulding

We use a press with 200 kN compression force for processing cut bulk masses, such as recyclates, or for special process variants in laminate and sandwich production. It has a clamping surface of 840 x 500 mm, an opreation height of up to 250 mm and can be heated up to 200 °C.

The press is used, among other things, for series components for the aerospace industry, for which the offcuts of larger prepreg components are used in a material-efficient way.

Machining

In the area of machining, CNC-controlled lathes and milling machines are used to produce machining operations on fibre composites and metal alloys with the highest tolerance requirements.

The variety and size of the equipment makes it possible to keep many process steps in-house, from simple production equipment to mould making (primarily from aluminium and polyurethane materials) to metallic component parts made from aluminium, titanium or steel and finally the components made from fibre composites.

Painting & Coating

Surfaces of fibre composite structures often require a coating adapted to the application, either functional or decorative. Our surface experts therefore process these surfaces with filler and primer as required before the coating is applied in the paint booth. The picture series shows examples ranging from the automotive sector to aviation applications and space components.

For our series components in aviation, we apply processes qualified according to Airbus QSPL.

Adhesive Bonding

Adhesive bonding is often the first choice when it comes to joining fibre composites: be it for the direct joining of fibre composite components to each other or be it for the connection to the metallic add-on parts. INVENT therefore has extensive experience in the use of a wide range of suitable adhesives and the corresponding technology. Whether film, injection or other pasty adhesives: for aerospace applications, appropriately qualified surface and processing techniques are available for many adhesives.

Assembly & Integration

Our process chains run through fibre composite production, machining, painting and bonding technology and often head to an assembly, the so-called integration. Here, the effort of the preceding process steps pays off when the precision is high and the components interact to fulfil the functional requirements of the overall product. Here, the effort of the preceding process steps pays off when the precision is high and the components interact to fulfil the functional requirements of the overall product. As in the other processes, only the combination of experience and equipment leads to success. Among other things, our team has access to high-precision laser trackers and measuring arms and uses individually adapted fixtures to align complex assemblies. Our timeline “25 years of INVENT” shows many more examples.

SUPPORT STRUCTURES

Primary structural elements of spacecraft and their equipment are partly supported by other, smaller components, so-called support or tertiary structures. INVENT offers here:

  1. Development of individual design solutions
  2. GFRP / CFRP and metallic (Al, Ti, Invar) structures
  3. Isostatic mounts
  4. Surface coatings on metal and CFRP (thermal, optical, electrical)
  5. (Partial) assembly

References:

  1. ExoMars
  2. MTG
  3. Metop-SG
  4. eROSITA
  5. Herschel
  6. EnMap
  7. Bepi Colombo
  8. SWARM
  9. MicroCarb
Stützstrukturen

Structural panel

Flat structural panels based on CFRP or aluminium facesheets and honeycomb cores are classic structural elements of spacecrafts. INVENT’s product portfolio for prototype and series production includes the following structural panel properties:
  1. CFRP or aluminum face sheets
  2. min. min. facesheet thickness 0.1 mm
  3. max. dimensions 4 x 2,5 m
  4. Heterogeneous honeycomb structure
  5. Local structural doublers
  6. Hot and cold bonding processes for inserts (different types)
  7. Grounding
  8. Surface coatings (optical, thermal, electrical)
  9. Suitable for high temperature applications
References:
  1. ExoMars TGO
  2. Sentinel 4
  3. Solar Orbiter
  4. eROSITA
  5. ELECTRA
  6. Galileo FOC
  7. Sarah
  8. FormoSat-5
  9. Heinrich Hertz
  10. MTG