Simulatıon Gives Speed Boost To The Aerospace Industry

“We must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.” _{Alice in Wonderland}

As the population increases, and the cost for getting on a plane decreases, the need for manufacturing aircrafts increases dramatically. In addition to that, some of the aircrafts are getting older and they will need to be replaced. Yet, manufacturing companies will not simply produce the same models to replace the old ones. Due to breakthroughs in technology, all the industries are being shaped to be able to fit in the new world. Especially high technology industry companies like aircraft manufacturing companies have to adjust themselves swiftly to be able to protect their place in the market. When new technologies are mentioned everybody tends to think about artificial intelligence or internet of things. Yet, there are many aspects in technology apart from (although not separated) these two. One of them is using simulation software in manufacturing. Simulation software can be used in many areas like in pre-design of parts, fine tuning of the designs, and predictive maintenance.

One of the most beneficial ways of using simulation is utilizing it in pre-design stage. Most of the decisions affecting the development costs are taken in this phase. If a simulation software is used in this phase, optimum shape and properties of the part that is to be produced can be specified even before design phase. In this way, time and many other costs are reduced in the production of the parts. For example, if our company is producing a part for an aircraft model, by using simulation we can see the effects of vibration, heat, pressure, and many other factors and see the possible weak points of the product. In this way, we can make the required modifications in accordance with the data supplied by the simulation software, before we complete the design of the product. This saves us from long physical tests and data analysis after the production of the actual product and eventually, will save time and money. Also, simulation is not limited to the pre-design phase only. For example, it can be used for maintenance purposes. These simulation programs can simulate the conditions the part will work in, and their complex relation to each other and can predict the life of the part. With this info, predictive maintenance schedule of the product can be arranged even before it is produced.

As in all industries, in aerospace industry too, there are dominant companies who holds the biggest place in the market. And, as in all industries, dominant companies rely on their experience and traditional ways in their advertising, marketing, production. Yet, we are living in a new era. Many of us have seen many dominant companies lost their places in the market because they were just too insistent on their traditional ways or just a bit late in adapting to new technological developments. Also, we have seen many new companies emerge by adapting to the new world. Surely, companies who can adapt to the changes like the mentioned simulation technology, AI, IIoT, etc. will be a step further than the others. The quote of Lewis Caroll from the book Alice in Wonderland defines the situation of our real wonderland: “My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.”