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Friday, June 30, 2017 4:53:10 AM
Commercial sector developments set to transform defence
At defenceonline.co.uk - Commercial sector developments set to transform defence - June 26, 2017
The introduction:
Revolutionary changes in the commercial and manufacturing worlds could also transform defence procurement.
This is the view of Paul Adams, Head of Aerospace and Defence with procurement and supply chain specialists Vendigital, who identifies three areas where developments in the commercial sector are likely to transform defence.
First is 3D printing – or, as it is more accurately called, additive manufacturing – the processes by which layers of material are formed under computer control to create a three-dimensional object.
Currently additive manufacturing is being used to make parts predominantly from plastic but it is also beginning to be used for metal components.
“General Electric are really pushing hard with it in the aero engine supply chain,” says Adams. “Rolls-Royce are also looking at options to introduce 3D printing for parts for the lift fan for the short take-off version of the Joint Strike Fighter.”
However, he argues that the manufacturing technology must be further enhanced before the full potential of additive manufacturing can be realised in defence.
“The first thing is the speed of manufacture,” he notes. “People say let’s get rid of the whole supply chain and stick a 3D printer in an aircraft hangar and we’ll be able to print spare parts, which sounds wonderful, but we are not there today. However, as the speed of the machinery increases, that is a realistic prospect in the future.”
If this aircraft hangar were to be supplied with metallic powder and other manufacturing consumables that vision could be close to realisation.
He adds: “The limiting factor today is the practicality of the speed with which machines produce parts, but as the speed of the machines increases that will become more and more attractive.”
The second key step for additive manufacturing to come into its own in the defence industry is for designers to realise just how much of a game-changer it could be and not to look at additive manufacturing in terms of another means of doing what has been done in the past, but as a way of enabling them to do entirely new things.
Adams explains: “Additive manufacturing is such a new and novel technology, design engineers in most of the big organisations don’t really understand the capability of the process both in terms of material properties but also fundamentally in terms of what types of parts you can produce with this technology.
“The best way to describe it is that at the moment we take a block of metal and we knock chunks out of it until it becomes a certain shape. Effectively, what additive manufacturing allows is to grow the way plants grow, molecule by molecule. You can create some incredible shapes which look nothing like what we would typically see in an aircraft today but are optimised for strength and weight across the different molecules within that structure.
“GKN have been looking at 3D printing technology for Airbus and they talk about components that have the same, or better, strength properties for half the weight compared to a standard manufactured product.”
Adams believes that once these two pieces of the jigsaw – improved 3D printing technology and greater design awareness – are in place, then manufacturing and the defence procurement supply chain will be revolutionised.
__________________________________________________________________
About Vendigital
__________________________________________________________________
Rolls Royce is mentioned in the article above. There's a new press release from Rolls about new investment in their aerospace facilities. There's no mention of additive manufacturing the they do mention advanced technology and supply chain transformation.
At rolls-royce.com - Rolls-Royce announces £150m investment in UK aerospace facilities - Thursday, 29 June 2017
Rolls-Royce has today announced a £150m investment in new and existing civil aerospace facilities in the UK to support the planned doubling of engine production and deliver on our record civil aerospace order book. The investment, which will be made over the next few years, is part of Rolls-Royce’s ongoing industrial transformation and will provide additional capacity as we develop and test the next generation of aero engines.
The majority of the investment, which is in-line with the Group’s ongoing planned expenditure, will provide a new facility for the testing of large civil aero engines in Derby, the home of Rolls-Royce’s civil aerospace division. The new testbed will be capable of testing a range of engines including the Trent XWB, which powers the Airbus A350 XWB and is the world’s fastest selling civil large engine with over 1,600 on order from 45 customers in 31 countries.
________________________________________________________________
Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “This investment comes at a time of unprecedented growth in Rolls-Royce. We are doubling the production of new engines at the same time as introducing three new engines to the market. With this investment, we are creating the capacity and flexibility to deliver on our goals, while committing to sustain employment in the UK and I would like to thank the unions for their support in delivering this important package of investment.”
Business Secretary, Greg Clark MP, said: “This announcement underpins the critical role the UK plays within the global aerospace sector. The UK and Rolls-Royce are known throughout the world as pioneers of advanced engineering technology. I welcome the confidence the company is showing in the UK. This is just the type of investment our modern Industrial Strategy is looking to attract. These new facilities are good news for Rolls-Royce, its UK suppliers and our economy.”
________________________________________________________________
Derby has also been home to the design and development of three new engines which are set to enter service shortly: the Trent XWB-97, which will power the Airbus A350-1000; the Trent 1000 TEN, which will power all variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family; and the Trent 7000 which will power the Airbus A330neo.
________________________________________________________________
In addition to the Trent XWB engine, Rolls-Royce assembles the Trent 700 and Trent 900 engines in Derby, powering the Airbus A330 and the Airbus A380 respectively.
Derby has also been home to the design and development of three new engines which are set to enter service shortly: the Trent XWB-97, which will power the Airbus A350-1000; the Trent 1000 TEN, which will power all variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family; and the Trent 7000 which will power the Airbus A330neo.
________________________________________________________________
We have three common themes across all our businesses:
*Investing in and developing engineering excellence
*Driving a manufacturing and supply chain transformation which will embed operational excellence in lean, lower-cost facilities and processes
*Leveraging our installed base, product knowledge and engineering capabilities to provide customers with outstanding service through which we can capture aftermarket value long into the future.
At defenceonline.co.uk - Commercial sector developments set to transform defence - June 26, 2017
The introduction:
Revolutionary changes in the commercial and manufacturing worlds could also transform defence procurement.
This is the view of Paul Adams, Head of Aerospace and Defence with procurement and supply chain specialists Vendigital, who identifies three areas where developments in the commercial sector are likely to transform defence.
First is 3D printing – or, as it is more accurately called, additive manufacturing – the processes by which layers of material are formed under computer control to create a three-dimensional object.
Currently additive manufacturing is being used to make parts predominantly from plastic but it is also beginning to be used for metal components.
“General Electric are really pushing hard with it in the aero engine supply chain,” says Adams. “Rolls-Royce are also looking at options to introduce 3D printing for parts for the lift fan for the short take-off version of the Joint Strike Fighter.”
However, he argues that the manufacturing technology must be further enhanced before the full potential of additive manufacturing can be realised in defence.
“The first thing is the speed of manufacture,” he notes. “People say let’s get rid of the whole supply chain and stick a 3D printer in an aircraft hangar and we’ll be able to print spare parts, which sounds wonderful, but we are not there today. However, as the speed of the machinery increases, that is a realistic prospect in the future.”
If this aircraft hangar were to be supplied with metallic powder and other manufacturing consumables that vision could be close to realisation.
He adds: “The limiting factor today is the practicality of the speed with which machines produce parts, but as the speed of the machines increases that will become more and more attractive.”
The second key step for additive manufacturing to come into its own in the defence industry is for designers to realise just how much of a game-changer it could be and not to look at additive manufacturing in terms of another means of doing what has been done in the past, but as a way of enabling them to do entirely new things.
Adams explains: “Additive manufacturing is such a new and novel technology, design engineers in most of the big organisations don’t really understand the capability of the process both in terms of material properties but also fundamentally in terms of what types of parts you can produce with this technology.
“The best way to describe it is that at the moment we take a block of metal and we knock chunks out of it until it becomes a certain shape. Effectively, what additive manufacturing allows is to grow the way plants grow, molecule by molecule. You can create some incredible shapes which look nothing like what we would typically see in an aircraft today but are optimised for strength and weight across the different molecules within that structure.
“GKN have been looking at 3D printing technology for Airbus and they talk about components that have the same, or better, strength properties for half the weight compared to a standard manufactured product.”
Adams believes that once these two pieces of the jigsaw – improved 3D printing technology and greater design awareness – are in place, then manufacturing and the defence procurement supply chain will be revolutionised.
__________________________________________________________________
About Vendigital
__________________________________________________________________
Rolls Royce is mentioned in the article above. There's a new press release from Rolls about new investment in their aerospace facilities. There's no mention of additive manufacturing the they do mention advanced technology and supply chain transformation.
At rolls-royce.com - Rolls-Royce announces £150m investment in UK aerospace facilities - Thursday, 29 June 2017
Rolls-Royce has today announced a £150m investment in new and existing civil aerospace facilities in the UK to support the planned doubling of engine production and deliver on our record civil aerospace order book. The investment, which will be made over the next few years, is part of Rolls-Royce’s ongoing industrial transformation and will provide additional capacity as we develop and test the next generation of aero engines.
The majority of the investment, which is in-line with the Group’s ongoing planned expenditure, will provide a new facility for the testing of large civil aero engines in Derby, the home of Rolls-Royce’s civil aerospace division. The new testbed will be capable of testing a range of engines including the Trent XWB, which powers the Airbus A350 XWB and is the world’s fastest selling civil large engine with over 1,600 on order from 45 customers in 31 countries.
________________________________________________________________
Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “This investment comes at a time of unprecedented growth in Rolls-Royce. We are doubling the production of new engines at the same time as introducing three new engines to the market. With this investment, we are creating the capacity and flexibility to deliver on our goals, while committing to sustain employment in the UK and I would like to thank the unions for their support in delivering this important package of investment.”
Business Secretary, Greg Clark MP, said: “This announcement underpins the critical role the UK plays within the global aerospace sector. The UK and Rolls-Royce are known throughout the world as pioneers of advanced engineering technology. I welcome the confidence the company is showing in the UK. This is just the type of investment our modern Industrial Strategy is looking to attract. These new facilities are good news for Rolls-Royce, its UK suppliers and our economy.”
________________________________________________________________
Derby has also been home to the design and development of three new engines which are set to enter service shortly: the Trent XWB-97, which will power the Airbus A350-1000; the Trent 1000 TEN, which will power all variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family; and the Trent 7000 which will power the Airbus A330neo.
________________________________________________________________
In addition to the Trent XWB engine, Rolls-Royce assembles the Trent 700 and Trent 900 engines in Derby, powering the Airbus A330 and the Airbus A380 respectively.
Derby has also been home to the design and development of three new engines which are set to enter service shortly: the Trent XWB-97, which will power the Airbus A350-1000; the Trent 1000 TEN, which will power all variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family; and the Trent 7000 which will power the Airbus A330neo.
________________________________________________________________
We have three common themes across all our businesses:
*Investing in and developing engineering excellence
*Driving a manufacturing and supply chain transformation which will embed operational excellence in lean, lower-cost facilities and processes
*Leveraging our installed base, product knowledge and engineering capabilities to provide customers with outstanding service through which we can capture aftermarket value long into the future.
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