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The goal of Hughes Aircraft Company's Robost Design for Six Sigma Manufacturability is a product with minimal defects in production, free of waste and rework, resulting in predictable factory performance through high yields. This process has been piloted on the F-15 APG-63 (V)1 radar program. Expected results are higher quality, improved reliability, consistent performance, low cycle time, low inventory, on time delivery and lower costs.

The pressing demand for American companies to be World Class producers has brought about a change in philosophy on how they do business. One major change is the approach to manufacturing. The change requires the adoption of tools and techniques that provide form, fit and function in ways that shorten production lead time with a reduction in cost. Rapid prototyping (RP) technologies using Solid Free Form Fabrication (SFF) offers industry the opportunity to reduce cost, shorten schedules and give Concurrent Engineering a tool that will provide an interface with manufacturing. From the design review to manufacturing SFF parts can be used to smooth the transition from concept into production with over 50% cost reductions while cutting 50% off the cycle time. The cost and time for the modifications associated with adopting these new methods and training personnel presents a major challenge to manufacturing companies.

A regulated high voltage solar array/battery system using large area silicon solar cells and a group of Ni-H energy storage cells meets the requirements of a multikilowatt geosynchronous orbit application. The electrical power bus operates at approximately 50 Vdc, minimizing unbalanced magnetic torques and distribution harness weight. The program design goal of 12 years of operation on station, including up to 2 years of orbital storage, represents a significant extension of total mission life.

THIS PAPER introduces a new field called Physics of Maintainability. This is a concept for an organized scientific approach to the solution of special design oriented problems in maintenance. The conventional maintenance approaches can be strengthened and provided with adequate tools and techniques for the new challenges being raised by the recent advances in the electronic state-of-the art. This paper describes the new field and discusses some familiar aspects of maintenance which will be affected by it. Materials in Design, Aid to Trouble Isolation, Applications to Microelectronics and Implications of Maintenance in Space are some of the topics discussed.