Additive technology is already here
- Is it possible to increase production capacity through the use of new technologies?
"New technologies are, after all, the prerogative of new programs. A new design incorporates new technologies to achieve additional aircraft performance. These new technologies are implemented not by technologists at the factory, but by designers at the design bureau."
Speaking of new technologies, I'd like to focus on one area of aircraft manufacturing: additive manufacturing. I'm confident it's the future. Currently, all the labor is focused on removing all unnecessary components from a metal blank and producing a component. Additive manufacturing technologies allow us to grow exactly what's needed. They provide a huge leap in labor costs, and consequently, in reducing the cost of an aircraft. But, as usual, there are many "buts." Most importantly, designing with additive technologies requires completely different principles. The designer must think in completely different terms. And our design bureaus are now very committed to implementing this approach. There are already positive examples of its application in current programs. This technology will definitely be used more widely in new programs.
Beyond the direct manufacturing of aircraft components, we already have excellent examples of using additive technologies in pre-production and tooling production. For example, in the production of stamping tooling at the Ulyanovsk plant and the Kazan plant. This translates into cost savings, surface quality, and tooling production speed. Additive technology has also begun producing sand casting molds at the Sokol casting center in Nizhny Novgorod. I wouldn't say it offers significant cost savings, but it certainly does improve quality and production speed. This technology is particularly well-suited to frequent design changes, which happen quite regularly.
Training requirements and new work organization
As you've already noted, production isn't just about equipment; it's also about people. What qualifications do new equipment and technologies require of employees? How are staff training and numbers changing?
It's easier to explain the qualification requirements with examples. Take composite manufacturing, for example. This is a clear development trend in our industry. Today, factories primarily work with metals, and composites are used as a supplement. But
composite materials are becoming increasingly popular. We understand that tomorrow, they will be the primary material for aircraft production. Therefore, new requirements are emerging for people. Whereas previously, the majority of jobs required metalworking specialists—milling machine operators, turners—now they require material laying specialists. Whereas previously they needed a metal cutting technologist, today they need a composite manufacturing technologist. These are requirements not so much for personnel as for their training. These specialties should be offered in secondary vocational and higher education institutions.
A second very interesting trend emerged as a result of
automation and robotization of production. With the acquisition of automated production lines, the worker's specialization also changes. They are no longer tasked with machining the part, but with delivering the blank to the line at the right time and then picking up the finished part. But specialists are also needed to set up this line. At the same time, the focus shifts significantly from the primary production worker to the setup technician and programmer. The demands on knowledge workers are significantly increasing, and the company's workforce structure is beginning to change.
These requirements complicate staff training, but they also open the door to a new way of organizing work. Knowledge workers are more inclined to teamwork, which allows for better results in shorter timeframes.
Another benefit is the ability to work remotely. A milling machine operator can't do this, and a programmer doesn't need to travel to the factory to write a program. This opens up entirely new opportunities, such as attracting workers from other cities.
How will the equipment issue be resolved after 2022? It's clear that purchasing machines from previous suppliers is currently impossible.
"Indeed, after February 2022, frankly, we were very worried. We had a lot of technologies that used imported equipment. There was concern that the Russian machine tool industry wouldn't be able to replicate imported equipment overnight. We began establishing contacts with new foreign suppliers who weren't subject to Western sanctions."
But it turns out that our domestic machine tool manufacturers have achieved a great deal in their field. We now have Russian-made machine tools from the Stan holding company, the Ryazan company Sasta, and the Krasnodar plant YuZTS. Russia now even produces machines for processing long parts up to 30 meters long, something that didn't exist just a few years ago. New engineering companies have emerged, young and exciting. Russia has even developed its own laying machines for composites. Young people from St. Petersburg have created a multi-spindle robotic punch for Voronezh. Until 2022, no one believed such a machine could be made here. Or, for example, riveting machines—highly complex machines designed for the automatic riveting of fuselage panels. Previously, only two companies in the world produced them—one in Germany, the other in the USA. Then a manufacturer appeared in China. Now, we are producing these riveting machines too.
Text: Konstantin Lantratov. Photos courtesy of the Corporate Communications Department of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation.