DIEFFENBACHER’s JEC appearance focuses on aerospace and defense solutions

On March 10-12, DIEFFENBACHER will showcase its solutions for the composites industry at JEC World 2026 in Paris. The German machine and plant manufacturer will focus its booth P101 in hall 5 on the aerospace and defense sectors, including associated plant digitalization solutions.

“We provide our partners and customers with customized plant concepts for aerospace applications such as seat structures, window frames, floor assemblies, fairings, spoilers and other skin elements,” explains Marco Hahn, Director Sales of the Business Unit Forming. “For the defense sector, we offer hydraulic presses and manufacturing systems for various drone components, ballistic protection equipment, helmets and shields,” adds Michael Ochs, Director Sales Schmidt & Heinzmann.
 

“Schmidt & Heinzmann has been part of the DIEFFENBACHER Group for over a year now. The integration has worked extremely well,” reports Ochs. “We have fully integrated Schmidt & Heinzmann’s advanced solutions for semi-finished material production lines, pumping, dosing & mixing systems, Cutting & Stacking Centers, and fiber cutting systems into the DIEFFENBACHER portfolio,” he explains.

The production processes that DIEFFENBACHER will present at JEC include the manufacture and processing of SMC, LFT-D technology, tape laying technology, RTM/HP-RTM technology and preforming. Automation solutions to be showcased include cutting and stacking systems for precisely producing complex stacks from SMC, prepreg, or dry fiber fabrics.

DIEFFENBACHER Fiberforge, the fastest tape laying system in the world,  is the heart of the tape laying process. It produces near-net-shape laminates from continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tapes that can be used to manufacture structural composite components or provide local reinforcement. For example, the Fiberforge processes UD tapes made from high-performance thermoplastics (PAEK/PEEK)—increasingly used in the aerospace industry—into components with excellent deflection behavior, strength, temperature and impact resistance. “Fiberforge makes the processing of thermoplastics faster and more efficient, even for large-scale production,” says Hahn.

For HP-RTM, DIEFFENBACHER offers fully automated production lines for the economical manufacture of structural and exterior skin components made of carbon fiber (CFRP). The three system units—the PreformCenter, the hydraulic press, and the HP-RTM injection unit—ensure maximum efficiency and consistent quality. “The HP-RTM process is particularly suitable for components with very high demands for surface quality, strength and stiffness,” explains Hahn.

All processes and technologies are supported by EVORIS, DIEFFENBACHER’s modular digitalization platform for hydraulic press systems and complete forming lines. EVORIS comprises three solutions: EVORIS Intelligence, EVORIS Connect and the EVORIS Control plant visualization system. EVORIS Intelligence measures, collects, and stores plant-wide, manufacturer-independent process and production data at a central location. The system helps manufacturers make their production processes more transparent, efficient and sustainable.

EVORIS Intelligence includes a Reports app, which evaluates and visualizes all data generated during production. Among other benefits, the app can be used to increase plant availability and improve production performance. The app records produced components by batch and time period, determines consumption data for raw materials and energy, and uses this information to create clear production reports. In addition, downtime and plant availability reports, including the causes of interruptions, can be displayed as a live stream or exported. The Anomaly Detection app supplements these benefits by providing live monitoring of process and machine parameters to help identify irregularities and enable early response.

EVORIS Connect, a comprehensive digital customer portal, offers an integrated ticket system, an Order Tracker for transparent tracking of spare parts orders, and an Equipment Hub to provide customers with a centralized overview of their entire DIEFFENBACHER machine park. The portal also includes a digital spare parts catalog that enables both documentation and ordering of spare parts directly from drawings. Steady development of additional EVORIS Connect apps will provide customers with further advantages. 

DIEFFENBACHER’s presence at JEC World 2026 will be complemented by the presentation, “Next Gen production systems for the aerospace industry – A smart and transparent production process,” which Marco Hahn and Michael Ochs will give on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. on the Agora stage in hall 5. The two experts will explain how DIEFFENBACHER is responding to the aerospace industry’s need for increasingly resource-efficient and intelligent production concepts and, with the help of EVORIS, is enabling energy- and resource-efficient series production of lightweight aerospace components.

Hahn notes that DIEFFENBACHER’S booth occupies a new position in hall 5 compared to previous years. “Visitors will find us at our new location, P101, prepared and eager to discuss trends in the aerospace, defense and composites industries.”