Boeing Simulates and "Manufactures" 787 Dreamliner with 3D PLM

Citation

(2007), "Boeing Simulates and "Manufactures" 787 Dreamliner with 3D PLM", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779cab.001

Boeing Simulates and "Manufactures" 787 Dreamliner with 3D PLM

Boeing and Dassault Systèmes a major company in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, recently announced the beginning of a new era in aerospace engineering, production planning and assembly simulation with Boeing's virtual rollout of the 787 Dreamliner. This first-ever virtual rollout, and the PLM technology underlying it, is not simply an animation of the completed aeroplane, but a virtual simulation and validation of the entire manufacturing process.

The virtual rollout illustrates the future of manufacturing, showing how accurate, intuitive 3D models can be the primary means for communicating design and production planning information throughout a program. Such 3D-based simulations of production processes enabled Boeing and its partners to optimise the Dreamliner production system and avoid the costly late-stage errors that can occur with untested designs and production planning.

“A breakthrough program like the 787 Dreamliner needed to lead the way in performance, quality, cost and schedule supported by efficient and flexible production planning. 3D PLM has the right capabilities to support these requirements,” says Kevin Fowler, Boeing's 787 Vice President of Process Integration. “In collaboration with its partners around the world the 787 program uses new materials and technology in the production process. These new requirements for the production process required a new type of process and computing design technology backbone that did not exist before we started working with Dassault Systèmes three years ago.”

The 787 Dreamliner program is believed to be the first to use 3D models and simulation on a project of such large size and complexity, from the product's inception through to production and product support. Building upon Boeing's use of Dassault Systèmes' virtual design (CATIA) and collaboration technologies (ENOVIA), Dassault Systèmes' DELMIA software suite provided Boeing and its partners with an environment for simulating and perfecting 787 manufacturing processes before actually building tools and production facilities.

Boeing's planning and layout of production lines using exact 3D models of parts and assembly tooling dramatically reduces rework on the 787. Such a digital manufacturing environment creates a communication “loop back” between 787 design and manufacturing engineers, no matter where they are, eliminating the risk of committing to a design change only to discover it cannot be manufactured, or that it requires costly changes to other components.

“Collaborative PLM, shown so eloquently here by Boeing in its virtual roll-out, is the next step for all industries,” says Dassault Systèmes President and Chief Executive Officer, Bernard Charlès. “Boeing pioneered the use of digital mock-up with the 777, and it is only fitting that today Boeing shows other industries the way forward with digital manufacturing. PLM and its final component, digital manufacturing, have never been so fully, so completely implemented as with the 787 Dreamliner program. Dassault Systèmes is proud to be Boeing's partner in this visionary step forward.”

Dassault Systèmes' PLM solutions used by Boeing on the 787 Dreamliner include DELMIA for virtual planning and production, CATIA for virtual product design, and ENOVIA VPLM for enterprise-wide collaboration, giving every stakeholder in the process access to 3D data models of parts, assemblies and systems. The digital assets developed by Boeing using these PLM solutions will be used across the 787's entire lifecycle, including sales, marketing and future derivative aircraft.