Software system predicts manufacturing costs up front

Citation

(1998), "Software system predicts manufacturing costs up front", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 70 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1998.12770baf.017

Software system predicts manufacturing costs up front

Software solutions for aerospace

Software system predicts manufacturing costs up front

A powerful new system for the advance prediction of manufacturing costs is being implemented by aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin in conjunction with the development of its latest jet fighter, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (LMTAS) recently completed phase 1 of its work on a JSF technology development contract, simulation assessment validation environment (SAVE). This is a satellite programme to the main JSF programme for developing a next generation fighter for the US Air Force, Marines and Navy, and the British Royal Navy. Two companies, Lockheed Martin and Boeing Defence, have been selected to perform the next stage of the JSF programme, the concept demonstration phase.

LMTAS will be using the latest concurrent engineering techniques, some of which are under development on the SAVE programme. Cognition Corporation's cost advantage, which is sold in the UK by PS Industry Group Ltd, is a significant part of the SAVE suite of tools currently in development. Cost advantage is a knowledge-based expert system shell that allows the user to capture manufacturing process, design and producibility information in terms of their cost implications.

LMTAS is developing cost advantage knowledge bases specifically for the materials and processes being evaluated on the JSF aircraft. The SAVE project features a direct link between cost advantage and CATIA as well as with other modelling and simulation tools.

The objective of the SAVE programme is to create an interactively connected suite of tools capable of performing manufacturing analyses throughout the aircraft development cycle. These tools produce information about schedule, required resources, cost and risk.

A major element of the manufacturing analyses is developing realistic cost estimates that are indicative of the process as related to the features of a design. There is general agreement that an interactive toolset that relates the causal effects of cost to particular design features and manufacturing process interactions is critical to the support of concurrent product and process development. The new business environment makes it vital to maintain a competitive performance advantage at the same time as improving quality and reducing cost.

For LMTS, one of the most attractive elements of cost advantage is that it offers both flexibility and a friendly environment, which allows cost models to be built at different levels of detail. Cost advantage also offers extensive capabilities to link with other systems.

LMTAS is exploring concepts that add more functionality to cost advantage. Some of these functions involve cost advantage being moved to a relational database and adding the ability to build models with restricted access.

"Even though Lockheed Martin is very large, we are fortunate in having a corporate structure that allows us to disseminate new concepts extremely successfully," says one of the team members of SAVE. "We are very excited about bringing cost and manufacturing information up front in the early design stages. This will give members of the integrated product teams a timely and informed cost analysis."

The benefit that LMTAS hopes to gain is consistent and continuous guidance for selecting the optimum balance of the most cost-effective and performance-oriented manufacturing processes for its design concepts.

Details from PS Industry Group Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 1908 505857; Fax: +44 (0) 1908 505859; E-mail: rhowarth@psindus try.co.uk