The Digital Materials Passport in the Data Ecosystem as a Driver of Innovation (AeroMatPass-X) – Subproject: Enabling the Early Aviation Supply Chain to Provide and Utilize Materials Data in Compliance with PMD in Data Ecosystems

Project description

Market needs and challenges
The upstream aerospace supply chain currently lacks standardized, interoperable methods for digitally and reliably sharing materials data throughout the supply chain. Existing siloed solutions complicate batch-specific data exchange, the validation of data provenance, and the use of AI-supported analyses. This hinders efficiency, traceability, and innovation in an industry with high quality and certification requirements.

Project approach
The AeroMatPass-X project links the MaterialDigital (PMD) platform with Manufacturing-X- and Gaia-X-based data ecosystems and, building on this foundation, develops Digital Materials Passports (DMPs). Fraunhofer IWM is responsible for semantic data modeling, develops PMD-compliant ontologies, provides real-world materials data, and integrates its own material models to demonstrate AI-driven optimizations. A reference application exemplifies the efficient use and expansion of materials data along the supply chain.

Contribution to addressing challenges
Standardized, PMD-compliant ontologies and data models enable cross-organizational, sovereign materials data exchange - even for SMEs in the early stages of the supply chain. Validation based on concrete application scenarios and a white paper with recommendations for action ensure practical implementation. For the first time, industrial companies are thus provided with practical tools to securely provide and utilize materials data and to use it for AI-supported process and product optimizations.

Fraunhofer IWM’s work packages in the project:

Fraunhofer IWM is responsible for parts of the project management and coordinates the alignment of semantic standards with parallel projects (including EDCar, PMD-X-MATPRO) as well as external initiatives such as Catena-X. Fraunhofer IWM contributes to the use-case specification, particularly in gathering requirements, user journeys, and the system architecture for batch-specific materials data. The institute develops PMD-compliant ontologies, expands existing data models for materials data, and contributes to the design of a reference data ecosystem, including a demonstration of AI-supported process and product optimization. The project will result in a demonstrator for AI-supported optimization based on real materials data, as well as a white paper with recommendations for practical implementation.