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Manufacturing research center for the UK

Boeing has signed a letter of intent with the University of Sheffield in the UK to be a partner in the initial phase of the establishment of a new Aerospace Manufacturing Research Center. The aim is to make it the most advanced establishment for material cutting technology in the world. The project is supported by private, regional, and national funding including that from the UK government's Department of Trade and Industry. Prof. Bob Boucher, the University of Sheffield's Vice Chancellor, said, "Boeing's commitment to the Sheffield Center will provide added impetus to the project." The Center will develop new processes for the machining and structural analysis of titanium and other novel materials for aerospace applications. It will also be the research hub of a pioneering 100-acre Advanced Manufacturing Park, which will be spearheaded by Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward.

- Stuart Birch

Supporting JSF

Tecnomatix Technologies' software is being used by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company to define, predict, measure, and analyze tolerances throughout the industrial process in the design and development of their Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. The software is eM-TolMate, which Tecnomatix says helps produce significant savings through reductions in engineering changes, tooling, and scrap and re-work and is part of a process called Variation Management (VM), which reduces assembly variation during the design and manufacture of products.

The initial phase of VM involves a series of iterative steps to understand the precise requirements of the project, focus on the correct emphasis for the designs, and use process-capability information to predict the outcome of assembly and design concepts. "Design and assembly options can then be compared and improved before production begins," said Tecnomatix, which is an Israeli company. eM-TolMate was particularly employed to evaluate the effects of variation on the JSF Airframe Affordability Demonstrations. As a result, changes were made to allow the more accurate location of parts within an assembly. The VM process is also being used by the JSF Preferred Weapons System team to provide a better understanding of the effect of variation on key assembly characteristics.

VM supported development of self-locating strategies that enabled workers to assemble parts without using tools, bringing a subsequent reduction in tooling costs. The statistical tools and methods that VM brings to the design and production of the JSF are already benefiting other Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. programs. According to Tecnomatix, using VM on a design of the forward equipment bay for the F-16 fighter aircraft was instrumental in reducing the number of parts required from 90 to 22. In addition, 904 of 1155 fasteners and 174 of 206 tools were eliminated.

- Stuart Birch

Looking to lower the cost of ownership

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology research center expect to cut more than $1 million a year from the cost of maintaining the U.S. Navy's fleet of P-3 Orion antisubmarine aircraft. Using state-of-the-art information technology, the center's objective is to reduce maintenance and logistics costs for aircraft, transit buses, emergency response units, and other high-value systems.

The Logistics and Maintenance Applied Research Center (LandMARC) at the Georgia Tech Research Institute uses technologies such as sensors, handheld diagnostics, wearable computers, genetic algorithms, CD-ROMs, Web portals, markup languages, radio frequency tags, airborne recording devices, mission planning software, and intelligent tutoring to improve aircraft logistics and maintenance. The center features four major research areas—integrated logistics, supply chain management, system sustainment, and predictive diagnostics.

Researchers from Georgia Tech and Lockheed Martin study plans for improving logistics and maintenance on the P-3 aircraft fleet.

According to Ron Wagner, a former Navy aviation maintenance officer and co-director of LandMARC, maintenance accounts for more than 60% of lifetime costs for complex military systems. As these systems continue in active service much longer than their designers envisioned, maintenance becomes more difficult, costly, and time-consuming.

To address these issues, Georgia Tech, Lockheed Martin, and a team of small companies began work on a project aimed to reduce operational costs by $1 million a year. The team focused on improving diagnostic techniques on the engine compressor. Because it is difficult to diagnose, more than 40% of the compressors replaced on aircraft are not actually defective, resulting in unnecessary costs.

A key facet of the P-3 project is an electronic performance support system (EPSS) that will integrate handheld diagnostic equipment, electronic links to supply system computers, wearable computers for displaying repair manuals, computer-based training, and airborne data collection equipment originally developed for electronic warfare testing. The open-architecture design merges disparate databases into a single Web-based information portal for repair technicians.

"We are attacking the cost of labor by giving technicians better tools to reduce the time it takes to troubleshoot, fill out paperwork, repair a malfunctioning component, test it, and put the aircraft back into service," said Gisele Welch, Director of LandMARC. "If we can make better use of the technician's time, we can reduce the cost of maintaining these older aircraft."

The research team used a Firefly Data Recorder—originally developed to collect data from radar warning receiver tests—to monitor performance of engines, compressors, and other aircraft systems, giving maintenance technicians a comprehensive view of system performance at the conclusion of a flight.

One study showed that technicians spend as much as 40% of their time walking back and forth between the vehicle they are maintaining and the manuals housed at the technical center. Putting repair manuals online and making them accessible through portable computers would eliminate that wasted time and motion. These systems could also give technicians access to parts inventory information and allow real-time consultation with engineering personnel at equipment manufacturers.

Information systems could also house the collective knowledge of many skilled technicians, making that expertise available to all and helping new personnel get up to speed faster.

- Frank Bokulich

Simulating the C-130J

BAE Systems Flight Simulation and Training has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. of Marietta, GA, to design and build two additional C-130J simulators for the USAF. It will build a second C-130J weapons systems trainer (WST) plus an avionics systems management trainer (ASMT). BAE Systems is now building the first USAF C-130J WST. The WSTs will be full-motion, full-mission systems designed to simulate the operational and performance characteristics of the aircraft. The ASMT will provide training in the normal control and operation of communication, navigation, identification, flight management, and display systems.

BAE Systems recently announced that it has reached an agreement to sell Flight Simulation and Training of Tampa, FL, to CAE of Toronto, Canada. The transaction is contingent on receiving required regulatory approvals in the U.S.

- Stuart Birch

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