The goal of 3D-LightTrans project is to provide groundbreaking, highly flexible and adaptable low-cost technologies for manufacturing of 3D textile reinforced plastic composites (in the following referred to as textile reinforced plastics or TRP), including innovative approaches for the individual processes and its integration in complete manufacturing chains, which will enable to shift them from its current position in cost intensive, small series niche markets, to broadly extended mass product applications, not only in transportation, but also in other key sectors, like health and leisure.To fulfil this goal, 3D-LightTrans manufacturing chains will based on hybrid yarn incorporating thermoplastic matrix material, processed to deep draped multilayer textiles and multifunctional 3D-textile constructions, which will be fixed to dry pre-forms and finally, processed into composites by thermoforming. By integrating these new, innovative process steps with full automation in -nowadays mostly manually performed- complex handling operations, it will be possible to obtain a fully automated and highly adaptable manufacturing chain. 3D-LightTrans will open the way to a totally new concept for the design, manufacturing and application of composites for low-cost mass products in a wide range of sectors.The Consortium brings together multidisciplinary research teams involving five industrial stakeholders from machine tools and machine automation (P-D Glasseiden, Van de Wiele, Lindauer Dornier, Coatema) and several OEM active in the field of processing of flexible materials and composite manufacturing, including Federal Mogul, among others, as well as from the application sector (FIAT and Bentley), and extensive expertise from well known research specialists in the area of materials, production research and technical textiles in particular, like AIT, TU-Dresden and University of Ghent.