Aerospace Assembly | Assembly

Calculating ROI for Automated Welding Equipment

What’s obvious to manufacturing engineers may not be to the folks who sign the checks

April 5, 2019

Production engineers often get excited about new technologies and tend to think that the benefits of investing in them are obvious to everyone else in the company. However, enthusiastic engineers can get an unpleasant surprise if they are not prepared to argue their case properly.

New Designs Could Alter the Look of Future Commercial Aircraft.

Austin Weber

April 2, 2019

During the first five decades of commercial aviation, aircraft design changed dramatically. However, that hasn’t been the case over the last 50 years. Despite major developments in materials, the basic shape of commercial aircraft has remained relatively the same since the 1960s.

Are Avionics Manufacturers Resistant to Change?

Our electronics industry commentator expresses frustration at the "that's-how-we've-always-done-it" culture among avionics manufacturers.

Jim Smith Ph.D. ABD

March 20, 2019

The news about the 737 MAX has got me thinking about my own experience with the aerospace industry. There’s something cultural about the avionics and aerospace industries, the Defense Department and the FAA; they are impervious to ideas. The status quo cannot be unseated.

Test System Makes Dream of Reusable Spacecraft a Reality

Jim Camillo

March 19, 2019

Every person chases a dream, but only the Dream Chaser (DC) spacecraft system has a final destination of the International Space Station (ISS) nearly 250 miles above the Earth.

Air Force Engineers Focus on Metals Research

Austin Weber

March 11, 2019

Carbon-fiber composite materials have been the darling of the aerospace industry in recent years. But, metal still plays a critical role in commercial and military aircraft, especially for applications that involve high temperatures or high stresses, such as engines and landing gear.

Rolls-Royce to Compete for $1 Billion US Air Force Contract

February 26, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS—Rolls-Royce Corp. announced Monday that it is kicking off a year-long campaign in pursuit of a contract to build hundreds of engines for U.S. Air Force bombers worth an estimated $1 billion that would bring 150 high-tech jobs here.

Boeing Joins Supersonic-Aircraft Development Program

February 19, 2019

RENO, NV—Boeing is to provide engineering, manufacturing and flight test resources to supersonic-aircraft developer Aerion to help the startup bring its business AS2 jet to market by 2023.

NASA to 3D Print Nanomaterial-Based Detector Platform

February 19, 2019

GREENBELT, MD—Technologist Mahmooda Sultana and her team at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center here have received a $2 million development award to spend the next two years advancing a nanomaterial-based detector platform. This platform measures only 2 by 3 inches, yet is capable of sensing minute concentrations of gases,vapor, atmospheric pressure and temperature, and then transmitting the data via a wireless antenna.

Airbus Begins Construction of $300 Million Assembly Plant in Alabama

February 12, 2019

MOBILE, AL—Airbus has begun construction of a new $300 million assembly plant here to manufacture the A220 jetliner. The project is expected to create 432 full-time jobs.

Epoxy Bonds Composite Parts for Spacecraft

Jim Camillo

February 7, 2019

Several years ago, researchers from QSS Group Inc. and the Ohio Aerospace Institute were interested in finding a commercially available adhesive that bonds titanium pipes to carbon-carbon composite (CCC) sheets. The reason: Doing so would lower the cost of assembling spacecraft heat-rejection systems made of these joined materials.