Early supply chain in aviation: The digital material passport in the data ecosystem as a driver of innovation

Project runtime: 01.01.2026 - 31.12.2026

Motivation

Despite the high level of documentation and the complexity of product development processes, the aviation industry still faces major challenges in achieving comprehensive digitisation and end-to-end data exchange due to its heterogeneous supply chains and companies. Currently, these processes are primarily document-based, e.g. via the transfer of PDF files. The AeroMatPass-X project aims to link the MaterialDigital (PMD) platform with the technological solutions of the Manufacturing-X project family and other Gaia-X-based data ecosystems, focusing on aviation. This link is intended to enable material-focused data exchange with the help of open and sovereign data ecosystems. Solutions from Gaia-X-based data ecosystems will be applied to specific use cases requiring material data, or will be expanded to include material ontologies.

Goals and approach

This use case from the aviation industry involves integrating material data into digital product passports (DPPs). The aim is to enable participants in the early stages of the aviation supply chain, in particular, to reliably provide and consume material data. This data is to be described in a standardised manner based on the Platform MaterialDigital (PMD), and exchanged via the architecture building blocks of existing Manufacturing-X projects and data ecosystems, such as Catena-X.

Innovations and perspectives

While current data ecosystems are primarily based on data model descriptions — i.e. the direct modelling of data structures — this project involves the construction of data structures based on a materials ontology. Using an ontology ensures interoperability and harmonisation with various data formats and domain ontologies. It also allows standards relating to EDI, ECLASS, Asset Administration Shell (AAS) and SAMM (Catena-X) to be addressed in parallel. Ontologies also enable rapid expansion and adaptation. In addition to the use of ontologies, the provision of information within the data ecosystem is addressed. Another innovation is the integration of external/independent testing laboratories as data suppliers within the ecosystem.

Tasks within the project	Location
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK Creation of a technological basis for data provision/use in aerospace data ecosystems by considering the minimum required ecosystem services; development of a reference DMP application for provision and consumption with a focus on SMEs.	Berlin
Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM Semantic PMD-compliant data integration; ontology-based data models; interface between PMD data model and DMP; ensuring the traceability of batch-specific material data along process/supply chains; role as external testing agency, material data and material model supplier.	Freiburg
Arconic Extrusions Hannover GmbH Integration of DMP into the middle phase of aerospace production; simplification of internal provisioning and system integration; standardization of communication.	Hannover
Industrious Consulting Experience GmbH Integrate external laboratory data into cross-company ecosystems; improve data availability.	Bingen am Rhein
Fehrmann Materials X GmbH Linking DMPs with agentic AI/simulation tools; ensuring data quality and usability of formats, contexts, and metadata for AI-driven material development (e.g., high-performance aluminum alloys for aerospace).	Lüneburg
Präwest Präzisionswerkstätten Dr.-Ing. Heinz-Rudolf Jung GmbH & Co. KG Lower barriers to data access; less effort required to process certificates; improved data discoverability to reduce lead times.	Bremen