ZDZW project in which GRI is participating, lays the groundwork for delivering zero defects, and zero waste in the European manufacturing industry

With a budget of 11 million euros and a three-year duration, the Zero Defects, Zero Waste (ZDZW) project, led by the IKERLAN technology centre and with the participation of GRI Towers Galicia and GRI Renewable Industries, aims to improve production efficiency and sustainable manufacturing of European industry.

It is a cutting-edge project that brings together 27 partners from 10 countries, both from the scientific and business spheres of Europe, whose aim is to move towards industrial production with “zero defects” and “zero waste”.

Currently, most control methods used to measure the quality of manufacturing processes are based on destructive techniques, which produce large amounts of waste and reduce productivity and, therefore, the competitiveness of companies. Non-destructive inspection (NDI) techniques are however costly and complicated to integrate into manufacturing processes. The European ZDZW project was created to address this situation.

Within the framework of the project, advanced inspection technologies will be developed. Technologies that are compatible with digitally enabled manufacturing processes. In particular, ZDZW will use artificial intelligence techniques to improve the production process, focusing mainly on optimising product quality control and monitoring.

“ZDZW proposes combining non-destructive inspection techniques and data analytics to improve industrial production. As its name suggests, ZDZW is committed to promoting zero defects (ZD) and zero waste (ZW) solutions. ZDZW will provide digitally enabled non-destructive inspection services, focusing on three key areas covering the entire manufacturing process and product lifecycle. The project will improve European industry’s production efficiency and sustainability,’ says Oscar Salgado, Innovation Expert and Senior Researcher at IKERLAN and ZDZW project coordinator.

Applied to coffee capsules, wind industry, automobiles…

ZDZW aims to validate the new technologies developed in six pilot tests in different sectors, from the production of thermoplastics in the automotive industry, to improving the production of wind turbine towers.

ZDZW technologies will also be applied for the inspection of dielectric antenna components used in medical applications and to improve the production process of coffee capsules.

“In the case of thermoplastics, ZDZW technologies are expected to reduce energy consumption by up to 12% and greenhouse gas emissions from the production process by a further 12%. In wind turbine towers, it would lower welding repair costs by up to 15%. And in coffee capsules, it would reduce up to 10 tonnes of waste,” explains Oscar Salgado.

Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, ZDZW started September 2022 and will run until August 2025.

More information will be available from the project website: www.zdzw-project.eu.