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See how the NEXT40 spaceship is created.
Our series follows the entire process—from the initial design sketches through manufacturing with premium partners to the final assembly of all components.We’ll celebrate the premiere of the finished NEXT40 spaceship at the AMB tradeshow.
The NEXT40 story
At Tebis AG, we’re not resting on our past successes after 40 years.
Shaping the future is in our DNA, which is why we’re looking ahead to the next 40 years.
The Tebis NEXT40 concept tells the story of a spaceship on an interstellar research mission.
The crew consists of experts in the fields of manufacturing, science, and design.They are all united by a common goal: pushing the boundaries of what is possible. The sustainable fusion drive enables expeditions to distant solar systems and the discovery of new materials that previously existed only in theory. In the ship’s laboratory, the team develops entirely new manufacturing methods that are not based on the subtraction or addition of material, but on the intelligent redesign of matter.
In this way, they are able to recode the atomic structures of the raw materials found and produce functional components with the desired shape and required properties in real time.
The NEXT40 spaceship symbolizes the vision of Tebis and its partners: Innovation takes place when people work together and think beyond the limits of their time.
Hands-on project partners
Alongside leading experts
The NEXT40 spaceship reflects Tebis’ commitment to excellence across the entire process chain. From the initial design sketches at Pforzheim University to the final milling path, every detail of the project was brought to life in collaboration with leading companies.
Together with partners, including DMG MORI, FCS, Ingersoll, and Zeiss, an exhibit was created that demonstrates what is possible when world-class expertise meets the holistic Tebis process strategy and Tebis premium software products. After all, excellence doesn’t happen by chance—it happens when the best in the field work together toward a shared vision.
Pforzheim University
This is where the NEXT40 project began.
Following a briefing by the Tebis project team, the fourth-semester students spent five months intensively exploring what the Tebis NEXT40 spaceship might look like.
After numerous sketches and concepts, each student created a clay model, which was presented at the final project showcase, the 2026 Winter Werkschau in Pforzheim.
Among 15 impressing designs, the winner was selected and is realized as an exhibit. It is being manufactured in collaboration with Tebis’s partners and will be on display at the AMB 2026 tradeshow in Stuttgart, Germany.Zeiss IQS
Together with NEXT40 project partner Zeiss, complex spaceship models were digitized in a very short time. Thanks to the reliable interface between the Zeiss ATOS 5 measurement system and Tebis software, the scan data can be imported into Tebis CAD quickly, clean, and without data loss. This enables a seamless digital workflow and lays the foundation for efficient further processing of the models in Tebis CAD.
OKUMA
With OKUMA Europe, the NEXT40 project has a high-performance manufacturing partner to assist with the production of complex parts. The state-of-the-art milling and turn-mill centers at the OKUMA Application Center enabled the production of key components at a single location. This process was made particularly efficient by the seamless integration of turning and milling operations in Tebis. The result was a perfectly coordinated synergy between high-performance machinery and the digital manufacturing process, which significantly accelerated the development of our spaceship’s drive.
FCS
Together with NEXT40 project partner FCS System, Tebis lays the foundation for safe and efficient manufacturing. As a specialist in clamping technology, FCS not only supplies high-quality hardware components but also provides the necessary process expertise for demanding manufacturing tasks. Thanks to the direct interface between FCS and Tebis, clamping devices—including their complete assembly logic—are seamlessly integrated into the digital twin. This creates a realistic manufacturing environment as early as the NC planning stage, enabling collision-free processes and maximum planning reliability.
Ingersoll
With Ingersoll, the NEXT40 project has chosen a partner that delivers far more than just high-quality cutting tools. As a full-service supplier, Ingersoll provides complete tooling systems consisting of holders and cutting inserts and offers extensive application expertise to assist in selecting optimal machining parameters. In conjunction with Tebis technology management, this know-how is made permanently available digitally and integrated directly into the milling strategies. The result is an end-to-end process that combines high productivity with the demanding surface quality requirements of the NEXT40 project.
DMG Mori
To manufacture the five key components of the NEXT40 spaceship with as few setups as possible, DMG MORI drew on its expertise in large-volume, high-dynamic machine tools. The available machine concepts enabled the use of multiple setups, thereby allowing for particularly efficient machining of complex parts. In combination with the digital twin and Tebis’s multi-setup functions, the entire manufacturing scenario could be validated virtually in advance. The high machine precision, along with close collaboration with the Seebach Technology Center, ensured that the Class-A surfaces developed in Tebis were translated into reality with the highest accuracy.
Are you curious to see what this exhibit will look like?
Visit us at the AMB tradeshow
Decoding Complexity
… put into practice.
The NEXT40 spaceship illustrates the idea behind Tebis’s brand positioning in a particularly vivid way.
Behind this futuristic exhibit lies a perfectly integrated interplay of design, engineering, CAM programming, tooling technology, machining, and process expertise.
That is exactly what “Decoding Complexity” means: analyzing and structuring complex requirements and translating them into robust, efficient, and sustainable processes.
