Dassault Systèmes’ A&D Ideas Lab director, Jeff Smith provides an overview of the technology taking the limelight during the last Paris Air Show.

The 52nd Paris Airshow highlighted the majesty of flight and innovation. On display and in the skies over Le Bourget Airport were hundreds of aircraft, drones and helicopters – from classic to futuristic flying vehicles.

New aircraft appeared on this innovation world stage for aerospace and defence and captivated audiences. Making their Paris aerial debuts were the Airbus A321neo, Airbus A350-1000, Airbus Helicopters H160, Antonov An-132D Boeing 737 MAX 9, Boeing 787-10, Embraer E195-E2, Embraer KC-390, Kawasaki P-1, Lockheed Martin F-35 among others. The wonder of technology allowed these magnificent aircraft to dance and manoeuvre across the sky.

Technology advances have made these aircraft possible. The compelling displays on the tarmac and in the exhibit halls underlined the advances occurring in the aerospace and defence industry. In my role, I see advances occurring every day - from ‘atoms to airplanes’ as new technology from new materials to connected airplanes to advanced product development and manufacturing methods methodically evolve. This accelerating transformation changes the way manufacturers and suppliers work and the way they deliver parts, products and systems.

At every turn manufacturers and suppliers showcased new advancements in additive manufacturing (AM). Though this technology has been around since the 1980s for prototyping, significant progress is being demonstrated in delivering production parts that are qualified to fly. The benefits associated with the buy-to-fly ratio are significant.

As increasingly sophisticated systems, new high-performance materials, and faster additive manufacturing capabilities emerge, the use of advanced additive manufacturing extends beyond creative product design and prototyping. Hybrid manufacturing (additive and subtractive) and cobotics (humans and robots) are enablers of the future factory. Both provide a scaleable means for industrial manufacturing processes. In addition, virtual technologies enable the simulation of the future factory to prove out and accelerate large-scale adoption.

My company Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE company, known for design software, 3D digital mock up and product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, partners with many 3D printing companies such as Stratasys, Renishaw, and Airbus APWorks. The APWorks partnership, announced during the Paris Airshow, provides for collaboration on the advanced use of additive manufacturing for serial production. The goal is to develop integrated processes that provide digital continuity for all engineering parameters across the value chain necessary for the additive manufacturing of a part. This will make the additive manufacturing process, from design optimisation to production through sustainment, replicable and scalable.

Another form of additive manufacturing, composites, continues to drive lighter, airframes and primary structures. The aircraft from Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer that debuted at Le Bourget are lighter and less expensive to operate for airliners as a result. Achieving certification of composite structures requires component and full-vehicle testing, which is expensive and time-consuming. Now, advanced simulation tools can improve the design, increase the value of testing and significantly reduce the amount and scale of physical testing which is currently required for certification.

As aerospace and defence companies strive to introduce these new processes and technologies into their product innovation cycle, Dassault Systèmes saw the need to provide the capabilities to improve and streamline the system of work. In partnership with the Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), the 3DEXPERIENCE Centre in Wichita opened April 2017. The 3DEXPERIENCE Centre focuses on enabling advanced product development and manufacturing, and next generation manufacturing materials and technologies using Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications.

The centre will leverage the 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s immersive and robotic applications and Dassault Systèmes’ expertise in materials and simulation.

Our newest 3DEXPERIENCE Centre opened in Hamburg last July as part of the Zentrum für Angewandte Luftfahrtforschung (ZAL). Our growing innovation network is available to individual companies and government agencies to accelerate the future of flight. Tomorrow’s materials and processes will push the evolution of airplane design, production and operation into a new era.

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