Space and Aerospace
Disruption Without Executability Is Called Distraction
Innovation, Profitability, Flexibility, Quality, Safety and Reliability, Sustainability are at the heart of every industry, no exception for the space and aerospace industry. So, what are the unique challenges in the aerospace sector that are keeping managers up at night?
Space and Aerospace industry challenges
- The complexity of products and their manufacturing processes is exponentially growing. What’s new? The variety of disciplines and systems. Just like many other industries, the different systems are becoming integrated with mechanical components.
- Market demand is growing, setting strong pressure on production. Current production’s infrastructure and processes are insufficient to accommodate a satisfactory delivery rate. A good example is provided by Airbus.
Reinventing the supply chain process using digital technologies
OEMs are pushing their suppliers to increase their position to strategic contributors within their value network. Today, supplier-created parts and content represent 50%-60% of the value of an aerospace system. Relentless price pressures and doubling of air traffic in the next 20 years are forcing OEMs and tier 1 suppliers to reinvent their supply chain to improve visibility, on-time delivery, and first-time quality. Thence, many suppliers lack the visibility and integration needed to adapt to this new world.
In the space industry, an effervescence of commercial satellites is present. According to Business wire (March 2019), over 3300 satellites over 50Kg will be launched between 2018 and 2027. In fact, this sector has the same challenges as aerospace in terms of product development.
Bridges vs Silos
For all these challenges the solution is, of course, multidimensional, but a common denominator is shared across them: the need to break the siloed business approach.
Therefore, the adoption of connected engineering and manufacturing allow OEM and suppliers to leverage a unified virtual environment to seamlessly collaborate across and integrate new technologies and processes into their system of work.
Thus, space and aerospace companies can explore and simulate 1000 times concepts to deliver against key requirements, while ensuring they can come through on time, on-target, and on-cost. All this in record time compared to the traditional development and manufacturing process no using digital technologies.
If you can disrupt the space launch market, there is no other market that cannot be disrupted.Andrew Hunter | Sr. Fellow, International Security Program and Director, Defence-Industry Initiatives Group, Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Space and Aerospace
What we do
Applying our expertise to space and aerospace industry
Space and aerospace products are among the most complex and high-value systems engineered today. The use of exotic materials, including advanced metal alloys and composites, makes their design and manufacturing a challenge.
Given the cost of production and the critical nature of their applications, reliance on physical prototyping alone is neither efficient nor sufficient. To meet industry expectations for speed, reliability, and performance, virtual prototyping is essential for validating product behavior before manufacturing.
TECHNIA combines deep engineering expertise with advanced digital technologies in product lifecycle Management (PLM) and engineering simulation (FEA, CFD) to design, optimize and analyze space and aerospace systems.
Since the early 2000s, our engineers have supported the development of satellite instruments and opto-mechanical systems for major space companies, delivering stress, vibration, and thermal analyses for mission-critical applications.
Our expertise also extends to aerospace structural validation, from aircraft interior cabinets to complex assemblies such as landing gear systems.
Space and Aerospace
How we do it
Applying technologies to the Space and Aerospace industry.
Using ABAQUS and MSC NASTRAN, we perform advanced FEA analyses ranging from non-linear static simulations to dynamic random vibration studies. Thermal performance is also validated through FEA — a critical requirement for satellite optical instruments and electronic enclosures operating in extreme environments.
For additively manufactured components, we use TOSCA to automatically generate weight optimized geometries. We then simulate the manufacturing process using SIMUFACT ADDITIVE to predict distortion and residual stresses.
For composite structures, we leverage 3DEXPERIENCE CATIA and ABAQUS to define and analyze ply layups, validating strength, durability and performance.
Finally, we conduct impact and ballistic analyses using ABAQUS explicit dynamic solvers to verify penetration resistance for defense applications. The same methodology is applied to simulate impact events and drop tests aerospace components.