For Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, F-22 Fighter Efficiency Starts on the Plant Floor

By Mike Lally,Manager, Manufacturing Engineering, Lockheed

The new F/A-22 Raptor, under construction by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics for the US Air Force, is easily one of the most advanced fighter jets ever designed. By every measure, the Raptor represents extraordinary technological and engineering breakthroughs in maneuverability, stealth and sensor fusion -a wealth of characteristics that define a new era in fighter capabilities. To achieve these breakthroughs, the manufacturing engineering personnel at Lockheed Martin have implemented advanced, three-dimensional, model- based numerical control automation using the latest CATIA V5 engineering software from IBM Product Lifecycle Management and Dassault Systemes. The solution provides greater cost efficiency and accuracy for the $43 billion contract to build 300 of the US Air Force 's F/A-22 fighter jets.

The mission is to develop and build the world 's most advanced fighter jet, the F/A-22 Raptor, with greater accuracy, in less time and with greater cost efficiencies than ever before. .The tools of choice are CATIA V5 computer-aided manufacturing tools and processes, including CATIA V5 for numerical control (NC). With CATIA V5 NC, parts programs developed for Lockheed 's gantry machines were converted to run the company 's new Henri Line high-speed router in as little as 10 percent of the time estimated by the company. Most design times were reduced 66 percent.

The solution
The NC programming team at Lockheed Martin is making innovative use of the latest CATIA V5 computer-aided manufacturing tools and processes. A team of NC programmers began to explore its new functionality through a pilot project, seeking to verify it supports sufficient multi-axis capabilities to address Lockheed Martin 's critical-tolerance composite panel trim and light-milling applications. One key move to speed construction of the plane was Lockheed 's acquisition of a Henri Line high-speed router to make parts previously run on the company 's large gantry machines. The gantry machines would be re-tasked to focus on other metallic part orders for Lockheed Martin 's continued F-16 business. A critical question was whether the NC programs created for the gantry machines in CATIA V4 could be converted to V5 and revised to drive the new Henri Line in time to meet the aggressive schedule of the F/A-22.

"Some jobs were programmed in as little as a tenth of the estimated hours scheduled for conversion to the Henri Line machine."

Brunvoll Propels Ships Using Product Lifecycle Management Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes

By Christopher P. Sciacca, Strategic Communications, IBM Product Lifecycle Management

PLM Solutions are integrated into every step of advanced thruster design, production, documentation and alter-sales support

IBM and Dassault Systemes announced that Brunvoll AS, one of the world's leading marine equipment suppliers will expand usage of IBM Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, building on a seven-year relationship with IBM and Dassault Systemes for collaborative product design and data management applications solutions and related services. Brunvoll, which recently won a substantial contract to develop a retractable azimuth thruster for the Norwegian Navy's new frigate program, uses the PLM platform to enable it to manage complex customer requirements. Brunvoll cited the high level of design, production and after-sales integration of the PLM solutions within its business as the main reason for the new contract.

Brunvoll is one of the global leaders for next-generation thruster propulsion units, and its customer base includes Royal Caribbean Cruiselines, Meyer Werft Shipyard, Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Carnival Cruise Lines, and the Norwegian Navy, among others. Brunvoll currently uses CATIA V5, the world's leading product development application, for all design and documentation. It recently purchased and is implementing SMARTEAM product data management applications for workflow and configuration management and for production of customer documentation. The CATIA and SMARTEAM applications, marketed and supported by IBM and developed by Dassault Systemes, are fully complementary. Also as part of the extended platform, Brunvoll will use CATIA to fully automate the design and cutting of high-precision propeller assemblies, a first in the industry.

With more than 60 percent of the total value of a typical ship outsourced to suppliers, the role of manufacturers such as Brunvoll has become critical. As more shipbuilders standardize on PLM solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes for new product development and product data management, suppliers also are rapidly adopting the advanced PLM technology to integrate design, manufacturing, and collaboration with shipbuilders and to provide after-sales support to ship owners. For Brunvoll, which builds highly complex, highly specialized products with just 160 employees, the business advantages are numerous.

"With a large organization such as a navy, you face the challenge of meeting many special demands that are far beyond those of the normal commercial customer," said Per Olav Lokseth, Marketing Director, Brunvoll AS. "You must work with multiple contacts at the customer, which can be overwhelming for a small organization such as ours. We have the technical skill to do everything they require, but working with so many people and providing so much specialized government documentation, especially when the requirements for everything all come in at the same time, can be overwhelming. We anticipate that SMARTEAM is going to be invaluable in helping us to manage and respond to these requirements more efficiently."

SMARTEAM will be used to archive and organize the company's 3D designs as well as all of the documentation relevant to each design. Having such a sophisticated data management capability will help Brunvoll adapt its standard documentation to meet the specialized requirements of both the Navy and the shipyard building the ship. The 3D capabilities of CATIA, meanwhile, help ensure that the thrusters Brunvoll delivers will integrate smoothly with the rest of the ship.

"We find that having the 3D capabilities of CATIA and being able to communicate with the Navy and the shipyard in 3D is invaluable," said Kevin Isham, Brunvoll's Manager of Mechanical Design. "Many of the organizations we work with still work in 2D. Because our systems intersect with other systems in the ship at so many points, it's often difficult to grasp all of the nuances of the design in 2D. Using 3D modeling helps us to communicate these needs more effectively and turn up any errors in the 2D designs supplied to us by the shipyard or the design consultants as we try to integrate our units into the ship. It's important to understand the many points of contact between the thruster unit and the ship, particularly with the retractable designs that actually penetrate the bottom of the hull. They feature an opening in the bottom with a cover plate that requires an exact fit. Another example is for our super silent thrusters, where we deliver form-cut tunnel extensions that have to match precisely with the hull form. The 3D capabilities of CATIA are critical to helping us accomplish this."

IBM and Dassault Systemes have helped transform Brunvoll from a traditional manufacturing company to an on-demand e-business. Over the past seven years, Brunvoll estimates that it has saved millions of dollars with PLM solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes due to faster time to-market, elimination of steps, end-to-end solution integration for smoother product roll-out, an improved offering of products and services and by-products tram design that allow the company to use its engineering designs to produce manuals for installation, testing and normal operation and maintenance.

About Brunvoll AS
One of the dominant suppliers of thruster units for maneuvering and propulsion used in a wide variety of ships, Brunvoll's compact and efficient organization meets critical propulsion needs worldwide for ships ranging from luxury yachts to mega cruise/ferry vessels, military ships and a wide variety of commercial ships.

CIMOS to Cut Design Time with IBM and Dassault Systemes

By Christopher P. Sciacca, Strategic Communications, IBM Product Lifecycle Management

Leading Slovenian Automotive Supplier CIMOS will simplify design and maximize collaboration by standardizing Product Lifecycle Management solution in three countries.

IBM and Dassault Systemes announced the signing of a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) contract with CIMOS, a leading automotive supplier specializing in powertrain, brake and car body parts. The IBM PLM solution, with CATIA V5 software from Dassault Systemes for collaborative product development, will enable CIMOS to standardize its product development platform.

With a prestigious customer portfolio including Audi, BMW, Citroën, Ford, Peugeot and Toyota CIMOS will benefit from improved collaborative product development leading to reduced product design time by 15 to 20 percent. The solution will be deployed company-wide, including four research and development facilities in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This implementation underscores CIMOS' recent decision to standardize with a PLM solution from one supplier exclusively.

"We wanted to standardize on one system to simplify our environment and minimize our training, so that people would be up to speed as quickly as possible," said CIMOS IT Specialist Davorka Vilus Vicic. "We found CATIA V5 easy to use, offering transparency to V4 data and proposing new functionalities such as Digital Mock-up and Kinematics that are just what we need. We also found out that we could implement it across many locations simultaneously. Overall, we see great potential in many areas for this mixed CATIA V4 and V5 environment of over 70 seats. We expect our partners and suppliers to follow us by using it as well."

"For more than 20 years, Dassault Systemes has provided the manufacturing industry with the world's most powerful engineering design and data management solutions," said Etienne Droit, executive vice president, Sales and Services, Dassault Systemes. "The decision by CIMOS to standardize its entire product development organization on our CATIA V5 solution is another endorsement of the strength of our products in the automotive sector."

About CIMOS
CIMOS, the leader in the Slovenian Automotive Cluster, was founded in 1972 and is Slovenia's leading designer and manufacturer of automotive parts, such as auxiliary braking systems, pedal systems, gearshift mechanisms and engine parts. CIMOS's customers include well-known automotive manufacturers such as Citroen, Peugeot, BMW, Ford, Audi and Toyota as well as automotive system suppliers such as Garrett Honeywell, Meritor, GKN and ZF. CIMOS is based in Koper, Slovenia, and has eleven production facilities in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as four research and development facilities. Find out more at http://www.cimos.si