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Materials become design, design becoems function Once things you could hold in your hand, materials have become more design ideas than entities, and the designs themselves are transforming into operational activity. The next steps in flight A look at sero engine and assembly developments as commercial airframe and engine manufacturers begin the biggest battle of all-for next-generation short-haul jet aircraft sales. NextGen Today and tomorrow The FAA has reached a major milestone on the Next Generation Air Transportation System initiative to modernize America's National Airspace System. Stacking the material deck for the 787 Combinations such as composites and titanium being used in future aircraft programs can be very challenging when drilling holes during manufacturing and assembly operations.

The edge on cutting aerospace composites With the increasing use of high-performance composites, such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastics in aerospace in recent years, machinists are continuing to devise the best way of cutting them.

The present and future of robotics Aerospace manufacturers make room for robots on the assembly line.

Going lean from scratch Embraer applied lean manufacturing concepts during the planning and construction of a new composites assembly line for its Legacy 500.

Improving power quality Avionics power supplies are being redesigned to reduce harmonic distortion and work with wild frequencies. Think smart As aerospace manufacturers and suppliers continually look for new ways to improve passenger safety and comfort, an increasing emphasis is being placed on the role of advanced, 'smart' interiors. Getting it together The manufacture and assembly of today's aircraft must be in line with market needs and emerging technologies in a challenging business environment.

Small Form Factor Embedded Systems New Technologies Drive Diverse Solutions Making Laser Weapons a Reality Modelling and Simulation Tools for Systems Integration on Aircraft Rotorcraft Anti-Icing Systems Redundant Transmitting System in Aircraft (RTSA) Cassini Stays in Touch with NASA's Radio Science Subsystem Laser Integration on Silicon Photonic Circuits Through Transfer Printing New fabrication approach allows the massively parallel transfer of III-V coupons to a silicon photonic target wafer. High Energy Computed Tomographic Inspection of Munitions Inspection system provides additional level of quality assurance for R&D, reverse engineering, and malfunction investigations. Terahertz (THz) Radar: A Solution for Degraded Visibility Environments (DVE) Operating at higher frequencies than other types of radar produces tighter beams and finer resolution. Imaging Detonations of Explosives Using high-speed camera pyrometers to measure and map fireball/shock expansion velocities.

The human factor in maintaining safety The need for safety systems and processes is crucial for every aspect of aerospace, with human experience and expertise melding with increasing computer power to pinpoint potential problems and increase efficiency. Mitsui at the cutting edge of precision machining The Japanese company is riding a wave of new-aircraft programs to grow its business at the upper and lower ends of the market.

Focusing on the process Lean practices aim at changing the way managers, engineers, and assembly workers view their jobs. This first installment in a two-part series on lean manufacturing focuses on the principles that make up this production philosophy. Smoothing the path to laminar flow control Researchers at Cranfield College of Aeronautics are studying laminar flow control technology with the particular target of enhancing Airbus aircraft technology for the 21st century. Maintaining electrical protection on the 777 A scheduled maintenance program is essential for aircraft protection against high-intensity radiated fields and lightning.

Quality through closed-loop manufacturing Pratt & Whitney has employed automated part probing as part of its manufacturing process to provide final inspection, data collection and analysis, and process adjustment. A virtual fighter The Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. use SGI's Origin 2000 servers and Silicon Graphics Onyx2 visual supercomputers to design their respective Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) demonstrators virtually. Modular aerospace controls Honeywell investigates a commercial off-the-shelf approach to the automated generation of safety-critical software for distributed control systems. Automated fuselage mating Brotje-Automation GmbH has developed an automated alignment facility designed to accurately position and align major aircraft fuselage sections.