TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT I DIGITAL MANUFACTURING
digital and linked manner. A holistic
approach to this through the use of
virtual tooling references and integrated
CMM functionality has enabled the full
deployment of optical metrology which
is at the heart of the capability.
The UK National Advisory Committee
(NAC) for Aerospace Manufacturing,
which provides advice to both the
DTI and MoD, has identified digital
manufacturing as one of its six top
priorities for government funding action.
It defines this as the digital thread that
Digital manufacturing environment | Typhoon major assembly at BAE Systems’ Samlesbury, UK site
runs through automation, facilities
control and inspection methods and has capabilities in knowledge enabled held on 17th to 19th October 2007 at
singled out digital process modelling, engineering, multidisciplinary design the Diagora Congress Centre at Labège,
validation, verification and variation and optimisation, design to decision near Toulouse, where in plenary sessions
management within this topic as the key objectives, engineering data management, and short parallel sessions it will report
technology for development. and distributed information systems on all the facets of this project through
The European Commission FP6 infrastructure for large enterprise and frequent case studies generated during
project for Value Improvement through collaborative hub for heterogeneous the course of the project.
a Virtual Aeronautical Collaborative enterprises applied on real case Its aim is to showcase the full set
Enterprise (VIVACE) has taken engineering and business scenarios from of capabilities developed during the
groundbreaking steps in the large scale the aircraft and engine sectors. project and to demonstrate how these
integration of virtual enterprise by The main result of VIVACE will be are being and can be exploited within
engaging meaningfully with the vast an Aeronautical Collaborative Design both the European Aeronautical and
machine that is the aerospace design and Environment and its associated processes Space Industry and the transport vehicle
manufacturing value chain. It has been and techniques to design an aircraft market in general. In addition there
slanted towards the set of processes in and its engines as a whole, within an will be stands operating throughout the
the box entitled ‘design engineering’ with extended supply chain enterprise and in event where the project workpackages
a part of ‘manufacturing engineering’ but each phase of the product engineering and some project partners will display
the principle of collaborative enterprise life cycle. This developed approach will and discuss their detailed VIVACE
is a sound one. be available to the aeronautics supply results and provide ad hoc capability
VIVACE is a €74 million, 65-partner, chain via existing networks, information demonstrations.
11-country, four-year project set-up in dissemination, training and technology If this digital revolution is to permeate
the framework of AECMA in 2004 and transfer actions. VIVACE has started the supply chain then there will have to
addressing the ACARE aeronautics’ from past experiences and results gained be a greater level of compatibility and
Vision 2020 objectives to contribute in concurrent engineering such as understanding at all levels than there is
significantly to fulfilling three specific ENHANCE and has brought together now. ❙
targets of the aeronautics industry partners from industry,
Strategic Research Agenda: research institutes, universities
1. Halve the time to market for and technology providers.
new products with the help of Airbus is already
advanced electronic analytical, design, implementing the outputs
manufacturing and maintenance process, from the VIVACE project
methods and tools. internally and it will use
2. Increase the integration of the supply the dissemination methods
chain into the network. outlined above to diffuse this
3. Maintain a steady and continuous fall capability within its supply
in travel charges through substantial cuts chain.
in operating costs. The third public forum for
This project will develop advanced the VIVACE project will be
EdgeCAM | 5-axis blade machining
AEROSPACEMANUFACTURING 13
AM_jul07_p12-13_tech.indd 13 29/6/07 10:52:50
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