NEXT40

This is where the NEXT40 project got underway. 
Following a briefing by the Tebis project team, the fourth-semester students spent five months intensively exploring concepts for what the Space Ship Tebis NEXT40 might look like. 
After numerous sketches and concepts, each student created a clay model, which was presented at the 2026 Winter Werkschau in Pforzheim.
From among 15 strong designs, a winning design was selected, which will be realized as a component exhibit in collaboration with Tebis’s partners—to be on display at AMB 2026 in Stuttgart.

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 the Tebis software, the scan data can be imported into Tebis CAD quickly, cleanly, and without data loss. This enables a seamless digital workflow and lays the foundation for efficient further processing of the models in Tebis CAD.

With OKUMA Europe, the NEXT40 project had a high-performance manufacturing partner to assist with the production of complex components. 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 within the Tebis software. 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 “propulsion system.”

Together with NEXT40 project partner FCS System, the foundation for safe and efficient manufacturing was laid. 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.

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.

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 components. 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.