editor’s view
4 DECEMBER 2019 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM
EDITOR Ben Sampson
(ben.sampson@markallengroup.com)
ASSISTANT EDITOR Paige Smith
SENIOR ART EDITOR Louise Green
DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS Andy Bass, Anna Davie
PRODUCTION
Sejal Patel
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Chris Jones
PUBLICATION DIRECTOR
Tom Eames (tom.eames@markallengroup.com)
PUBLICATION MANAGER
Jag Kambo (jag.kambo@markallengroup.com)
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Tom Stone
PUBLISHER Simon Hughes
(simon.hughes@markallengroup.com)
COO Jon Benson
CEO Ben Allen
CHAIRMAN Mark Allen
A MARK ALLEN GROUP COMPANY
www.markallengroup.com
A lot of Stratford in East London has been
regenerated since the London Olympics were held
there eight years ago. Where once there was just
marshland and post-industrial decline, there is
now shopping malls, stadiums, apartments, trendy
offices and artisan food vans.
3DMC, a conference which covers the latest
in industrial metrology across a number of
different sectors was held in a modern and trendy
conference centre in Stratford during October
this year. Its audience of engineers looked slightly
awkward amongst the exposed steel ducting,
concrete and Chi Lattes. But the message at the
conference was clear – innovation is moving
forward fast in the area of measurement.
The conference included a presentation on how
engineers at Renault F1 are using X-ray computed
tomography for non-destructive testing – to
inspect their cars between races quicker and to
examine delamination in 3D printed components.
There was a presentation from German company
3D Aero about how they are using measurements
from 3D cameras so co-bots can be used in aircraft
manufacturing. Metrology is at the core of enabling
the effort to move robots outside of cages and
alongside workers to perform tasks such as drilling
and bolting on fuselages. There were sessions on
laser tracking, targetless photogrammetry and
acoustic thermometry – measuring temperature
using the temperature dependent transit time of
sound in a liquid.
There was also a presentation about Airbus’ new
Advanced Wing Integration Centre (AWIC) in Bristol,
UK. The new centre is central to the company’s R&D
and testing for its next generation of lighter and
more flexible aircraft wing. AWIC has therefore been
built to the most exacting tolerances civil engineers
and builders could provide. Measurements made
in the main hall of the centre during testing are
so precise, academics are studying the difference
having the doors open in the building makes to test
results and how to compensate for it.
There are plenty of interesting engineering
stories with innovation in metrology at their core.
Several more are featured in this issue: in-space
manufacturing, crash testing and ditching in seas to
name a few. Measurement may be one of the more
mundane aspects of test and development to some
people, but without it, aeronautical innovation and
safe air travel would be impossible. A conference in a
trendy area of London is just the start of recognizing
how innovation in measurement is fundamental to
aerospace and many other industries.
Ben Sampson, editor
ben.sampson@markallengroup.com
// The team
// Trendy metrology
// Contributors
Paul Eden
Editor of the Official
Royal Air Force Annual
Review magazine
and Salute historical
journal, Paul is a
dedicated aerospace
writer, editor and
blogger.
David Hughes
David Hughes is an
aviation writer with
20 years at Aviation
Week magazine and 10
in the FAA. He served
as a USAF Reserve
C-5 pilot.
Rob Coppinger
Rob is an engineer
turned journalist, who
has been writing about
aerospace technology
for approaching 20
years. He has recently
relocated to Brittany,
France.
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Paul Willis
Paul has been a
journalist for the past 10
years, writing for some
of the UK’s largest
newspapers and
leading magazines.
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