Newsletter September 2007

In this issue:

• Landing Gear Prepared for Flight

• Direct Digital Manufacturing: Impact and Opportunity Part 4 - Jigs & Fixtures

Landing Gear Prepared for Flight

FDM mock-up key in evaluation and testing of Sukhoi Superjet 100 main gear.

Landing Gear Polycarbonate

Aircraft landing gear is an extremely complex system comprised of mechanical, electrical and hydraulic assemblies. Retracting and extending on every flight, the range of motion for these assemblies presents unique design challenges that are further complicated by the punishment that landing gear endures, which makes it one of the most maintenance intensive parts on an aircraft.

To minimize aircraft downtime and ensure reliability of the gear, Messier-Dowty, the world leader in landing gear systems, uses sophisticated tools for design, analysis and testing. In preparation for the test flight of the new Superjet 100 regional aircraft, which is manufactured by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft of Russia, Messier-Dowty Toronto validated the performance of the main landing gear with both digital and physical mock-ups. To make the 16-foot -high physical mock-up, Messier-Dowty turned to RedEye for rapid prototyping with its fused deposition modeling (FDM®) process.

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Direct Digital Manufacturing: Impact and Opportunity Part 4—Jigs & Fixtures

Jigs & Fixtures

Direct digital manufacturing, otherwise known as rapid manufacturing, is a process that employs additive fabrication technology (aka rapid prototyping) to produce end-use items. Directly from CAD data, components are manufactured without molding, casting or machining. The impact of direct digital manufacturing is far-reaching, and the opportunities and advantages are extensive. This is why direct digital manufacturing is heralded as the next industrial revolution.

Since the earliest days of rapid prototyping, experts have envisioned the application of the technology in the manufacturing process, and the focus of this vision has been on the initial cost and time savings that are realized when tooling is eliminated. However, the relative impact pales in comparison to the wide ranging advantages that exist when rapid manufacturing is implemented.

Industry has failed to recognize many of the opportunities that direct digital manufacturing offers. Some will yield unprecedented efficiencies; some will generate annual savings that far exceed the cost of a tool; and others will facilitate new methodologies that address age-old constraints. Direct digital manufacturing will benefit nearly every discipline within a manufacturing organization, and it will change fundamental business processes. When adopted en masse, it truly will be an industrial revolution.

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