Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2022 - 20

Product Development
The model-based systems engineering
(MBSE) thread plays a major role here. It's
a big part of the composite design and
manufacturing process. MBSE can also
bring in integrated electrical and mechanical
system design into the process. Electrical
systems are integral to many A&D programs
today. Bringing this integrated
electrical and mechanical system together
via the MBSE can help accelerate the
entire design process and ensure a quicker
hand-off of the electronic system to
wire harness and software design.
Figure 2: By incorporating Siemens NX software into a sprint, teams can streamline and accelerate
design, simulation, and manufacturing processes with the full support of digital twin. (Photo: Model
courtesy of Bye Aerospace Inc.)
opment. Agile is about breaking a program
down into sprints, and within each
sprint, teams test, verify, and validate until
the goals of each predetermined " sprint "
are met.
Building and Incorporating
Sprints
A sprint breaks a program down into
manageable bits so teams can focus on
completing one aspect of the program before
moving to the next. The first sprint
typically lays down the foundation for the
program, as well as the next sprint. These
sprints can take many forms depending on
the product. For a new aircraft, there
might be a wing sprint, then a tail sprint,
and then a cockpit sprint. With a small, agile
team, it is faster to break the project into
manageable chunks and focus on each section
to accelerate maturity. If you're an
eVTOL startup, for example, one of the
primary concerns of an early sprint is likely
let's make sure the aircraft can fly!
Each consecutive sprint adds more
functionality or capabilities and could also
introduce a different level or new type of
testing. The best thing about sprints is that
teams can focus on short-term goals that
meet the long-term goals of the program.
Returning to the eVTOL example, in a
mid-stage sprint they are probably looking
at designing and perfecting structural integrity,
aerodynamics, and propulsion. As
they move through each sprint, they
would do more simulation-driven design.
Next, how does the eVTOL company
build what they have been flying in the
wind tunnel? But wait, what if after all that
testing, last-minute funding comes in asking
the company to move from a two-seater
to a five-seater aircraft? It's easy to make
20
the necessary changes because they can
draw upon previous sprints. Going a step
further, there are the challenges behind
certification. Companies today must contend
with increased complexity when it's
time to address product certification, but
think of all the federal, state, and local
regulations that must also be met.
A sprint with active feedback loops that
includes both virtual product verification
and manufacturing can serve as an invaluable
tool at this phase. Moreover, being
part of the digital thread means all kinds
of data is available to the team responsible
for certification, with full traceability
to accelerate the process.
Finally,
there's
manufacturing. How
does a company move from prototype to
manufacturing? The power of digital
transformation is fully realized here in
how much faster teams can move when it's
time to ramp up the production rate. If
they're building airplanes, it's not just getting
the first airplane out the door, it's
building 10, 20, or 50 a month. Using virtual
tools and the production digital twin,
a sprint can give teams a strong understanding
of their manufacturing processes.
Often referred to as virtual commissioning,
it's the capability of using
simulation to validate that the factory is
going to meet all necessary requirements.
It is safe to say a sprint takes the risk out
of the process and allows A&D companies
to achieve their goals in a far more flexible
manner (Figure 2).
Agile means you can incorporate multiple
disciplines - electronics, mechanical,
simulation, and software into the process.
Eventually a sprint might bring in elements
of generative design, which adds a
new level of multi-domain optimization.
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Is Agile in Your Future?
One of the biggest takeaways with agile
product development is companies can
mature their product faster. They also reap
more capabilities from the desired product.
We've had customers report this already.
They're using connected design
tools for virtual simulation and testing that
have saved significant time in their schedules.
By bringing in tools for design, engineering,
and manufacturing and tying
them together in the comprehensive digital
twin, they are accelerating and optimizing
the overall design process, which often
results in substantial cost savings as well.
With sprints, teams become more agile
in their execution and decision-making.
Additionally, more people are empowered
to make better decisions based on
better information because they share
the digital thread, which provides traceability
and connectivity.
At the end of the day, our customers are
reducing their development time through
agile product development. Some have
already achieved that 50 percent reduction
in development time and are improving
quality in the process. In fact, some
customers are getting close to 90 percent
first-pass yield on their design and manufacturing
process. They have less rework
when they get to manufacturing. And so,
with agile product design, you'll see benefits
in the design world, but also, and more
importantly, you'll gain noticeable advantages
in the manufacturing world, too.
When it comes down to it, although agile
product development helps teams
through the entire product lifecycle go
faster with less risk, the real value behind
agile product development is when it's
time to build - teams have the ability
and flexibility to get things done.
This article is written by Dale Tutt, Vice President
of Aerospace and Defense Industry at Siemens
Digital Industries Software (Plano, TX).
For more info visit http://info.hotims.com/
82321-121.
Tech Briefs, May 2022
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Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2022

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