Innovative vehicle: TU Dresden presents a textile-reinforced model in the Transport Museum!

Innovative vehicle: TU Dresden presents a textile-reinforced model in the Transport Museum!

The TU Dresden has developed an innovative commercial vehicle model with a textile-reinforced plastic body and ceremoniously handed it over to the Dresden Transport Museum on June 5, 2025. This model is called “Function-Integrative Vehicle System Carrier” (FiF) and acts as a technology demonstrator for urban, municipal or internal transport. Jan Gerken, the Chancellor of the TU Dresden, was present at the handover.

The FiF is characterized by high strength and rigidity, low mass and the recyclability of its materials. The model was developed as part of the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 639 on “Textile-reinforced composite components”, which was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) between 2004 and 2015. The FiF was presented for the first time at the Hannover Messe 2016 and has now found its place in the Transport Museum.

Importance for automotive research

Maria Niklaus, head of the road traffic collection area at the Transport Museum, highlighted the opportunities that the FiF offers for automotive research. Exhibits such as the FiF can currently be viewed in the transport museum depot, including on the “Open Monument Day” on September 14th and at the final event of the railway season in mid-October. Dr. Michael Vogt, director of the Transport Museum, shows great interest in further collaboration with the TU Dresden.

The vehicle uses innovative textile thermoplastic technologies to achieve a high level of functional integration. The structure consists of two supporting systems: the vehicle cabin and the supporting structure. The number of components for the supporting structure was reduced to six highly integrated parts, making the production process more efficient. With the help of a sensor network in the vehicle, data can be communicated and the condition of the materials can be monitored.

Technological advances in preform production

The FiF is part of a broader development in the automotive industry, in which fiber-based materials play a central role. Future vehicle components are to be made into 3D component shapes in accordance with the loads through the further development of preform production, as is being carried out in a project at the Fraunhofer Society. These technologies aim to develop cuts directly based on 3D geometry, without the need for rework.

The cuts can be generated precisely using inverse calculation methods, which improves the possibility of local structure fixation. This leads to higher quality in preform production and increases the level of automation. Reference materials such as glass fiber fabric and various matrix materials are used here. Advances in adhesive technology, through both manual and robotic applications, are already showing positive results in preventing adhesion problems.

In the automotive industry, companies such as BMW, Daimler and VW are facing a technological paradigm shift due to the introduction of electromobility. This development requires a complete overhaul of the value chain for producing electric cars. Lightweight construction will play a crucial role here. Although carbon fiber-reinforced high-performance plastics are established in other industries, their costs have so far been a challenge in the automotive industry.

Research institutions, including the ITA at RWTH Aachen and the ITM at TU Dresden, are working on automating the manufacturing processes of textile fiber composite materials. The aim is the serial production of high-strength textile structures for load-bearing vehicle components. Dr. Klaus Jansen from the Textile Research Board emphasizes that textile research plays a key role today as a materials science.

As the automotive industry continues to embrace innovation, it remains to be seen how quickly the large-scale application of advanced materials such as FiF will find its way into production vehicles.

For further information about developments at TU Dresden, read TU Dresden reports that..., Fraunhofer IWS reports that... and Innovation Report reports that....