Basque country

The  technology centre Tekniker is starting to develop its WEIBAL project, a system for measuring the weight and balance of tiltrotor aircraft -aircraft that operate by propulsion through motorised rotors in helicopter and conventional aircraft configurations-. This initiative has the collaboration of Dibal (experts in weighing and labelling solutions in the retail and industrial sector). The two companies are working together to develop a more accurate assessment of aircraft weight and balance in order to estimate the position of the centre of gravity (GoG) in three-dimensional space. The project, in turn, will contribute to the reduction of drag force, fuel consumption and atmospheric CO2 emissions, among other advantages, thanks to the use of the information obtained to establish flight strategies and the optimal mode of use of the engines, mainly in helicopter mode, which is more sensitive to possible deviations.

Both, the involvement and constant technological improvement and the commitment to investment in R&D&I (research, development and innovation) have made Dibal the leading brand in Spain in the retail scales market. Together with Tekniker, it will develop manufacturing processes such as ecological machining, flexible reproduction lines and robotic and industrial automation with the aim of rowing towards a more sustainable aeronautical industry.

Among the main objectives of WEIBAL is the reduction of noise pollution thanks to its improved mobility and agility in flight. This factor will allow energy savings and low fuel consumption and gas and CO2 emissions, among numerous improvements that will help to safety, preservation and care of the environment.

On the other hand, the project will bring great benefits in the mobility of the aircraft, such as the ability to land on uneven surfaces that are not prepared or even have obstacles nearby. All of this will facilitate rescue work in loading and unloading victims in flight, especially on short-range routes.

The use of a high level of technology through Industry 4.0 technologies to achieve efficient design, development of new materials, customised equipment and a sustainable future aeronautical sector are the main factors that define the importance of the project. With this, it is expected to obtain an improvement in manoeuvring productivity, the development of an integrated and precise design through intelligent manufacturing systems.

With regard to its European presence and involvement, it will contribute to the development of a European commercial tiltrotor aircraft in the shortest possible time. This is expected to help the European Union’s leadership position. It turns out that, despite their many advantages, tiltrotors are currently not certified for use in the civil sector. In fact, only one model is available in the military sector, which is why projects such as WEIBAL are so necessary to help generate advanced technical knowledge for optimised aircraft design and development of balance and weight systems.

WEIBAL is a project in collaboration with Clean Sky 2 – the largest European research programme funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 project. The project will run until March 2023 and has a grant of 799,714.29 €.