JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011 - 37

Composite part on the shopfloor

This illustrates the benefits for a manufacturer of integrating a manufacturing intelligence solution within an MES such as that from Intercim. By simultaneously analysing up to several thousand parameters of all types, including the supplier data, the characteristics of the raw materials, the workshop measurements, the machine settings and all the quality readings and product characteristics deriving from the MES, the manufacturer can extract automatically the optimum operating conditions and continually produce recommendations (including when the manufacturing conditions vary), without having to modify the process specifications or invest in any new equipment.

long life cycle. Between the design of the first prototypes and the first service flight, a minimum of five years will elapse. If the aircraft proves to be a commercial success, the production phase can stretch over some 20 years. Lastly, the maintenance of an aircraft fleet requires follow-up of parts and systems for 30 to 40 years. How is it possible to reduce the cycle time and ensure, from as early as the design phase, that the new aircraft will meet the quality and safety objectives of regulatory bodies, the comfort expectations of passengers, while at the same time maintaining relatively low operation and maintenance costs for airline companies? The first CAD/CAM tools appeared in the aerospace industry in the early 1990s. This collaborative design mode, bringing together product engineers and the design office, inaugurated the inception of PLM.

distinct sites. To be able monitor the entire manufacturing chain of the 787 at all points on the globe, Boeing asked Intercim and Dassault Systèmes to integrate their solutions, so that the information could be exchanged in a seamless manner from the design office through to the workshop operator via quality engineering, the methods office, etc. The production managers remain informed at all times of the progress of the workshop operations. The system is continuously fed with production data: work in progress inventory, parts availability, etc. Selective views show the status of each manufacturing order: per factory, production site or workshop. The right decisions can be taken without delay, according to the resources. In the case of complex and simultaneous operations, synchronised between different teams, this tool makes it possible to apply appropriate rules by prioritising certain operations over others. In the workshop, each operator sees the tasks displayed on a tablet PC along with 3D views, work instructions, specific alerts, etc. During execution, the system guides the operators through to completion of the tasks and alerts them in the event of any unforeseen events arising: stock shortages, wrong instructions, etc. The operation is then suspended, and engineering is brought into the loop to propose a solution. The reactivity offered by this system has a considerable impact on workshop productivity, particularly when the workshops are located on geographically remote sites. By integrating its manufacturing intelligence solution and then the MES solution with the PLM offering from Dassault Systèmes, Intercim is able to meet the needs of the aerospace industry, and more specifically those of composite part manufacturers. n

The value for manufacturers of a 3D product and process design and simulation solution integrating the Intercim MES and its manufacturing process analysis functions

A sector with particularly severe constraints
Moving up the aircraft manufacturing chain, there is another constraint that is specific to the aerospace industry and which has a major impact on the profitability of any new programme: aircraft are "products" with an extremely

One of the novel possibilities consists in being able to use the same numerical model at each point of the manufacturing chain, and being able to monitor via this common framework, in real-time, the state of progress of production and assembly. One of the applications consists in virtually inspecting the aircraft during construction, despite the subassemblies being manufactured on geographically

No65 May –June 2011 / jec composites magazine
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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #65 - May/June 2011