Over the last 30 years, the electrical power demand on aircraft has increased by a factor of 10. While the growth in aerospace E/E systems has introduced new challenges, it is also creating new opportunities.
The COVID-19 pandemic clearly proved challenging to the manufacturing industry in myriad ways. Now, as nations and industries begin to navigate their way forward as restrictions are lifted, manufacturers have an opportunity to put into practice some lessons learned.
The expert personnel who engineer and manufacture the equipment and technologies for the A&D industry are fewer in number now than prior to the end of the shuttle program. To support the growth of this industry requires more professionals—fast.
NextFlex, formed in 2015, facilitates innovation in flexible hybrid electronicds—an emerging technology—and fosters domestic manufacturing of them, including workforce development.
Epicore partnered with PepsiCo to develop and manufacture a wearable sweat analyzer device and branded it with the name of the food and beverage giant’s sports drink. The Gatorade Gx Sweat Patch and App system is marketed to athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
Making operators and process designers better informed in real time, with a focus on making intelligent decisions with enhanced data, is the key to updating U.S. aerospace and defense manufacturing capabilities.
The need to permanently laser mark parts for tracking and tracing continues to grow.
Smart manufacturing is transforming A&D manufacturing as more companies adopt automation, artificial intelligence and robotics. Some manufacturers are also focusing on eliminating so-called islands of automation and integrating the technology across entire processes.
Why don’t more manufacturers in the United States use smart manufacturing technologies like AI and machine learning to reduce waste, achieve predictive maintenance and enhance their automation systems? Five CESMII roundtable panelists share their insights.
LIMS—the Low Investment Manufacturing System—is an unassuming little box consisting of a computer with proprietary Solution Engine software and an I/O hub that plugs into a standard outlet. When wired at the edge of a piece of production equipment, it becomes a simple solution for collecting and sharing complex sensor-derived data.