Development of a conceptual framework to assess producibility for fabricated aerospace components

The aerospace industry is undergoing an intense competitive pressure due to new market demands and regulations. In the next 20 years the number of aircraft in service is expected to double. At the same time, there is a rapid development of new technologies to fulfil tougher requirements, typically with regards to lower emissions and fuel consumption, where lightweight is a key issue. Along with this, some aircraft-engine manufactures have adopted a fabrication approach to build their large structural components. Within fabrication, smaller parts are welded together into the final shape. This manufacturing approach has significantly broadened the number of possible variants of a defined product and production concept. In addition, fabrication has brought to the forefront important problems such as geometrical variation and weld quality. Tailoring the product design to fulfil customer requirements and moreover, tailoring the fabrication process to suit the product design, becomes really complex. Therefore, a systematic approach is required to assess the producibility of the different design solutions in order to secure the final product quality throughout the fabrication process. In this paper, a conceptual framework, by means of a model, is presented. This model serves to identify, in a structural way, the parameters and features that are contributors to variation in the process quality output. Furthermore, the model helps to describe the parameters within the manufacturing process that build up the quality into the product, and ultimately, what are the product characteristics that deliver the final quality to the customer. Thus, the model provides a base for a systematic approach that will support the creation of product variants from a producibility perspective.