CFRP hybrid assemblies in mechanical engineering: How lightweight construction improves cycle time

In highly dynamic production systems, the mass of moving components directly determines acceleration, deceleration, and possible cycle times. At the same time, stiffness, precision, installation space, and service life must not be compromised by weight optimization.

This is precisely where the challenge lies: simply making an assembly lighter is not enough. The crucial factor is optimizing weight, structure, functional integration, and manufacturing together.

A specific development project for a highly dynamic gripper demonstrates the influence that a consistently designed hybrid construction can have on the performance of an entire system.

The challenge: less mass without functional compromises.

The existing system presented several requirements simultaneously:

• reduce moving mass

• Increase structural stiffness

• increase usable interior space

• Integrating electronics, wiring, and mechanical components

• Reduce assembly and integration effort

• Ensure sufficient load-bearing capacity and service life

Simply substituting metal with CFRP would not have met these requirements.

The goal was therefore not to create the lightest possible individual component, but rather a functionally optimized assembly whose materials are used specifically according to their respective tasks.

Implemented CFRP–metal hybrid gripper assembly: low moving mass, high structural stiffness, and integrated peripherals in a compact design.

Targeted combination of CFRP and metal

CFRP offers a significant advantage for dynamically moving structures: high specific stiffness at a comparatively low mass.

Metallic materials, in turn, are suitable for highly stressed connections, local force introductions, precise connection points and robust interfaces, among other things.

These properties were deliberately combined in the project.

The result is a CFRP-metal hybrid structure in which not one material was used as comprehensively as possible, but each area was designed according to its technical function.

Especially with such assemblies, the decisive development effort often lies in the transitions:

• How are forces safely transferred between different materials?

• Where do local reinforcements need to be provided?

• Which joining technique is suitable for the required load and service life?

• How can electronics, cables and mechanical components be integrated into the structure?

• How can the assembly still be manufactured and assembled economically?

Only when these questions are answered together will lightweight construction result in a robust technical solution.

Exploded view of the housing: the CFRP structure, metal interfaces, electronics, and peripheral components are integrated into a single assembly at the design stage.

Simulation before the first prototype

Even before the first physical assembly was built, the structure, load paths and stiffness were analyzed computationally.

This made it possible to identify critical areas and evaluate different design variants during the construction phase.

The simulation was not only used for strength verification.

FEA of the gripper structure: deformation and stiffness were evaluated before prototype production to digitally validate the design of the hybrid assembly.

It also helped to answer the central system question:

How does the reduced moving mass combined with high structural stiffness affect the dynamics of the gripper?

This allowed constructive decisions to be digitally secured before tools, components and prototypes were manufactured.

The physical setup then served to validate the developed solution – not to search for a functioning geometry for the first time.

Functional integration instead of subsequent peripherals

Another focus was on the integration of the periphery.

Electronics, cable systems, connections and mechanical components were not arranged around the housing afterwards, but were already taken into account during the design process.

This brings several advantages:

Firstly, the available installation space can be used more efficiently. Secondly, clearly defined cable routes, mounting points and interfaces reduce the effort required for assembly and subsequent integration into the machine.

Thus, a housing became a functionally integrated system assembly .

Measurable effects on the overall system

In this specific application, the new design led to significant improvements:

• almost 20% higher clock speed of the entire system

• approximately 30% more usable installation space within the assembly

• Faster final assembly thanks to pre-assembled system delivery

• Increased durability through reduced vibrations

These results also show why simply considering the component weight is insufficient.

The economic benefit does not arise from a component becoming a few kilograms lighter.

It arises when the lower mass enables higher dynamics, the stiffness ensures the required precision, and an integrated design reduces assembly and interface effort.

Why technology transfer can be beneficial in mechanical engineering

Many of the methods used for this come from areas where weight, stiffness, dynamics and limited installation space have had to be optimized simultaneously for years – for example, from vehicle development.

The physical relationships involved are less different than the respective industries might suggest.

Material-appropriate design, hybrid structures, CAE, joining technology and functional integration can also be applied to highly dynamic mechanical engineering applications.

However, it is crucial not to adopt these technologies in isolation, but to adapt them to the specific industrial application.

From digital concept to ready-to-install assembly: the CFRP-metal housings are prepared with defined mounting points and interfaces for integration into the overall system.

From concept to ready-to-assemble module

Especially with novel material and design concepts, additional effort arises when development, calculation, material selection, manufacturing and assembly have to be organized via several independent interfaces.

In this project, these steps were therefore consistently combined – from concept development and simulation to design and prototyping, all the way to the finished assembly.

This meant that the necessary chain of expertise for the specialized solution did not have to be built up on the customer's side first.

The assembly could be integrated into the overall system as a complete solution.

Conclusion: Lightweight construction must improve the machine

CFRP is not an end in itself, nor is it a fundamentally better replacement for metal.

Its potential arises where low mass, high specific stiffness and functional integration create a concrete advantage for the application.

In high-performance mechanical engineering, this can become a productivity factor.

Not by using as much carbon as possible.

But through the right combination of material, structure, simulation, interfaces and manufacturing.